Morocco’s King sacks ministers over delay in developmental project

Rabat, Oct 25 (IANS) Morocco's King Mohammed VI has dismissed several senior officials, including the Ministers of Education and Health, for their "negligence in the exercise of responsibility" that led to delay in development projects in the northeastern city of Al Hoceima.

The sacking on Tuesday came after the King received the report on the Al Hoceima projects "Manarat Almotawassit" from the First president of the Court of Auditors.

The Court of Auditors' report said that its probe confirmed "several dysfunctions" recorded under the previous government in carrying out the projects. It also said that several ministerial departments and public institutions did not honour their commitments in implementation of the projects and their explanations did not justify the delay in implementing the developmental projects, MAP reported.

The report noted great delay in launching the projects, and that a vast majority of them had not yet been launched.

The King, "taking into account the degree of negligence in the exercise of responsibility", "decided a set of measures and sanctions against several ministers and senior officials".

The Ministers sacked are: Mohamed Hassad, Minister of National Education, former Minister of the Interior in the government of former head of government Abdelilah Benkirane; El Houssaine El Ouardi, Minister of Health under the governments of Saad Eddine El Othmani and Abdelilah Benkirane; Mohamed Nabil Benabdellah, Minister of Housing under Saad Eddine El Othmani and Abdelilah Benkirane; Larbi Benckheikh, Secretary of State in charge of vocational training, who previously held the position of Director General of the OFPPT.

The King has also dismissed Ali Fassi Fihri, director general of the National Office of Water and Electricity.

He also reprimanded five former ministers incriminated by the report: Rachid Belmokhtar, former Minister of National Education, Lahcen Haddad, former Minister of Tourism, Lahcen Sekkouri, former Minister of Youth and Sports, Mohamed Amine Sbihi, former Minister of Education and Culture, and Hakima El Haite, former Secretary of State in charge of the environment, according to Morocco World News.

The King also instructed the Head of the government to submit proposals for appointing new officials in the vacant posts.

In 2015, Morocco launched Lighthouse of the Mediterranean, a large-scale development program in the northeastern province of Al Hoceima, but many of its projects have been marred by delays.