Complaint Filed Against President of Fez-Meknes Traditional Crafts Chamber on Charges of Embezzlement and Mismanagement

In a significant development in Morocco’s traditional crafts sector, several members of the Fez-Meknes Traditional Crafts Chamber have filed an official complaint with the King’s Attorney General at the Court of Appeal in Fez against the Chamber’s president, Abdelmalek Boutayeb, on charges related to embezzlement and mismanagement.

According to the submitted documents, the complaint is based on several key points:

1. Making decisions unilaterally without consulting other members.
2. Failure to comply with Article 29 of the Chamber’s governing law, which stipulates the necessity of involving the financial committee in discussing budget projects.
3. Preparing annual budget projects without involving the financial committee.
4. Irregularities in exhibition contracts, particularly the wood exhibition held in 2023.
5. The need to audit contracts granted to a single event caterer who has been benefiting for over nine years.
6. The necessity to verify the allocation of 550,000 dirhams designated for studies, expertise, and technical assistance in the ceramics and pottery industry.
7. Request for clarifications on the budget allocated for highway travel passes, fuel, and vehicle maintenance.

The complainants indicate that they had previously sent several correspondences to the President of the Supreme Audit Institution, the Head of the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Finance, and the Minister of Tourism, Traditional Crafts, Social Economy, and Solidarity in Rabat, but received no response.

It is worth noting that the court issued a ruling on 18.07.2024 declaring Mr. Abdelmalek Boutayeb ineligible to preside over the Chamber.

The complainants are calling for this case to be referred to the competent authorities for a thorough investigation into its subject matter and for appropriate measures to be taken, while preserving the rights of the complaining party.