Morocco Still Struggles Against Corruption, Government Accelerating Reform Efforts: El Othmani

Rabat – Morocco’s global position in the fight against corruption “is still low,” as national and international reports continue to raise the alarm on the insufficient progress made in fighting the endemic phenomenon, said Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani today.

Transparency International’s 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index gave Morocco a score of 37, below the global average score of 43. On a 0 to 100 scale, the lower the number, the greater the perceived level of public sector corruption. The kingdom ranked in the middle, 90th out of 176 countries.

For El Othmani, an important factor in the proliferation of corruption is the fact that, “those who perform their work the best they could receive minimum wages, while those who do not work enough receive wages above their effort,” he said. He indicated that wage justice is an important factor when discussing reform efforts.

A study conducted by e-GRH’s recruitment platform ReKrute on job satisfaction found that 60 percent of workers in Morocco lack motivation in performing their jobs due to their salaries.

El Othmani stressed that combating administrative and financial corruption is a gateway for the realization of social justice, because of its “great role in strengthening development and strengthening equity,” he said during the 3rd Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Social Justice.

“The Government is working hard to put social development on the track, because it can affect the rate of growth and development goals,” he said.

Minister of Justice, Mohamed Aujjar, indicated in late January that his department is working on 61 projects to battle corruption at the legislative and institutional levels.

The Department of Justice is working on “adopting practical steps and approaches,” including the consolidation and restructuring of the departments responsible for financial crimes, both in terms of infrastructure and in the workforce.

Aujjar’s Department is also developing anti-corruption training sessions and drafting an amendment to the Penal Code in order to harmonize it with the United Nations Convention on the fight against corruption.

Meanwhile, El Othmani further indicated that private enterprises have “a major role in fighting corruption,” since it is crucial for the private sector to capitalize on social justice and development in order to develop sustainable economic models.

To encourage private businesses to continue fighting injustices, the 2018 Financial Law has established several measures for their benefit, said the Head of Government.

Speaking on the Finance Law, Minister of Economy and Finance, Mohamed Boussaid, had previously indicated that the principal foundations of the law are based on four essential elements: support to the social sectors and industrialization, support public and private investment and SMEs, the implementation of regionalization and the reform of administration and governance, and the acceleration of the reform process.