Despite the adoption in 2015 of a national strategy to combat corruption, the issue has not receded in Morocco due to significant resistance both within the state apparatus and throughout society, especially in the economic sector. Ahmed Bernoussi, Secretary General of Transparency Morocco, paints a grim picture.
“Corruption in Morocco has become endemic over the years. It affects all economic and administrative sectors, both public and private,” states Ahmed Bernoussi, Secretary General of Transparency Morocco, in an interview with Challenge. To substantiate his claims, he relies on the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International for over 20 years and recent surveys conducted by the National Integrity, Prevention, and Anti-Corruption Authority (INPPLC). “The health sector remains the most affected by corruption, followed by political parties, the government, parliament, and unions,” reveals a 2022 INPPLC survey among citizens.
According to this survey, “corruption is widespread in areas like public sector recruitment, appointments, and career progression. It is also prevalent in social aid, granting of licenses, exemptions, and special authorizations.” It “affects one in four resident citizens.” Bernoussi specifies that the sectors most impacted by these practices include the gendarmerie, transportation, police, public health, justice, urban planning, housing, and real estate in the private sector, along with local officials like caรฏds and pashas. Additionally, a survey among business leaders showed that “68% believe that corruption is widespread or very widespread in Morocco.”
The head of Transparency Morocco also notes that corruption costs Morocco between 3 and 5% of its GDP, roughly 50 billion dirhams, leading to a degradation in the quality of social services like public health and education, according to World Bank estimates. However, a national anti-corruption strategy was officially adopted in December 2015. Ten years later, “this strategy has been virtually frozen due to a lack of political will to implement it,” Bernoussi observes. The national commission tasked with overseeing its implementation has only met twice in eight years, despite the decree mandating at least two meetings per year.
Bernoussi reports that the INPPLC’s evaluations in its 2022 and 2023 reports are mixed. “The year 2018 did see the passage of Law 31-13 on the right to information, implementing Article 27 of the Constitution which stipulated this right. Unfortunately, this law has several exceptions that have shown its limitations over seven years of practice,” he explains. The enactment of this law led to a leap in Morocco’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2018, where Morocco scored 43/100 and ranked 73rd out of 180 countries. “However, the freezing of the strategy has led to an annual decline in Morocco’s Corruption Perceptions Index,” notes the Transparency Morocco leader, pointing out that in 2023, the kingdom scored 38/100 and fell to 97th place globally, marking an annual drop of 1 point and 5 positions in the global ranking.
The fight against corruption is hampered by significant resistances at both the state level and throughout society, particularly in the economic sphere. “Intra-state resistances manifest through a lack of coherence in actions among different departments, especially between the government and oversight and good governance bodies. Reports from these bodies are either ignored, contested, or denigrated: Competition Council, INPPLC, Court of Accountsโฆ,” explains Bernoussi. Meanwhile, the citizen only aspires to enjoy their legitimate rights and access quality public services under fair conditions, without being forced to ‘overpay’ informallyโฆ.