Inspection Operations Set to Address Local Officials' Complaints in Taza Province
The General Inspectorate of Territorial Administration, under the Ministry of Interior, has initiated the process of updating its inspection task lists, directing monitoring efforts towards various urban and rural communities in the Fès-Meknès region, including the Taza area. This move is part of a new dynamic aimed at reevaluating inspection operations for local councils that have been overlooked for years.
According to national media reports, numerous communities—167 in total—particularly within the jurisdiction of the Fès-Meknès region and surrounding Taza, have not experienced any inspection visits from territorial administration committees or regional audit councils for years. This oversight has led to a buildup of grievances from elected officials and opposition members regarding administrative and financial management practices.
Reports and complaints submitted to the central services of the Ministry of Interior by local officials contained precise details pointing to an unjustified immunity that some community leaders have enjoyed, as they have not been subjected to any previous auditing processes. The documentation submitted to central authorities includes cases involving council leaders who have received final rulings from the administrative chamber of the Court of Cassation that necessitate immediate dismissal proceedings, as well as instances of former leaders returning to local governance despite losing their electoral eligibility.
In light of this, opposition officials are increasingly calling for the strict enforcement of Article 64 of the organizational law 113.14 concerning local councils, particularly against those accused of committing violations related to budgeting surpluses outside legal frameworks and suspicious transfers of communal properties. These violations are particularly noted in the communities of Bouchfaa, Ouled Zbaier, and Bab Merzouka, alongside allegations regarding local governance management in Bab Merzouka, Ghiatha al-Gharbia, Ait Sghrouchen, Maghrawa, Ouled Zbaier, Beni Frassen, and Ouled Sharif.
The anticipated inspection operations, commencing on June 1, 2026, will focus intensively on critical sectors, including ongoing urban planning files, local tax collection processes, management of communal properties, work contracts, and procurement requests. The investigations will extend to unilateral decisions related to imposing fees on legally exempt lands, primarily in Taza, Oued Amilal, and Tahla, alongside scrutinizing suspicious expenditures regarding well-drilling contracts and the construction of public water facilities in Mkenassa al-Sharqiya.
This proactive measure responds to the accumulation of opposition grievances and will reopen files linked to the annulment of council resolutions due to violations of legal procedures governing council sessions, particularly in terms of informing council members about agendas and accompanying documents as stipulated in Article 35 of the organizational law.
As reported by alhadattv.ma.
