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Rabat – Morocco’s public prosecutor has announced that national authorities will be cracking down on fraud related to PCR tests. The office of the prosecutor published a press release on August 27 to warn of a concerning rise in falsified PCR tests in Morocco and abroad.
Morocco’s public prosecutor is urging Moroccan authorities to take “vigorous action” against anyone found to use or produce falsified documents that claim the subject tested negative for COVID-19. According to the prosecutor’s office there is an “increasingly frequent use of these practices” that does not only contradict the law, it undermines public health.
Criminal behavior
Falsifying official documents, such as the PCR results, is criminalized by law in Morocco. Authorities are urged to “crack down” on anyone producing, or found in possession of, falsified medical documents The press release called on the police to “use all appropriate means to detect cases of fraud” and launch investigations and “show the necessary firmness” to anyone suspected of the practice
The office of the public prosecutor will play a central role in the national effort to stop the dangerous practice of falsifying such important medical documents. Police are asked to report any new cases of PCR fraud to the prosecutor’s office, which has offered assistance to help find those responsible for producing the mock health documents.
Moroccan state media reported on an example of such PCR fraud on August 27. A 24-year old Moroccan student was stopped at Oujda-Angad airport for presenting a falsified PCR result, a requirement in order to travel to Europe. The individual in question was taken into custody as local authorities investigate the source of the falsified document.
Societal health risk
Producing or using fraudulent health certificates is not only illegal, it undermines national efforts to stop the ongoing wave of COVID-19 infections in Morocco.
The country is undergoing a vast and ambitious national project to rapidly vaccinate most of the population in order to build a collective immunity against the virus. This project has been supported by the massive increase in citizens eligible to receive their vaccinations.
While Morocco’s vaccination campaign is outpacing most on the continent, fraud could undermine this notable progress.
PCR fraud undermines the public confidence in medical certificates in general, and allows for infection vectors to spread undetected. Infected people using the falsified documents are in effect endangering the health of people they meet, as well as their direct family and friends.
With a new crack down on PCR fraud expected, common sense will hopefully prevail. As Morocco’s government expands saliva-based tests at pharmacies, citizens will have ample opportunity to get tested to get the official documents that can instill confidence that the public health crisis is not an opportunity for criminals and frauds, but a national endeavor to protect us all.
