“Sur 1.050 agents, nous avons recensé tout au plus cinq cas ayant des liens de parenté avec des élus. Cinq cas sur un millier, est-ce cela le scandale que certains prétendent dénoncer ?”
That defense from Fes Mayor Abdessalam Bekkali came on the heels of a chaotic ordinary session of the Fes Communal Council, where escalating tensions over municipal finances boiled over into a political crisis, Les Inspirations ÉCO reported.
The municipal assembly descended into turmoil last Tuesday when opposition councillor Ali Boumehdi interrupted the meeting carrying a canvas bag emblazoned with a satirical slogan targeting local electoral practices. Several majority councillors promptly abandoned their seats to avoid the spectacle before Boumehdi seized a microphone to announce his immediate resignation. He claimed the bag contained proof of an illegal tax arrangement negotiated at the highest levels of the municipality.
The 70 Million Dirham Tax Waiver Controversy
At the center of the political storm is an expunged tax bill involving the Tax on Vacant Land (TNB). Documents brandished by the resigning councillor indicate that Mayor Bekkali signed a total tax exemption certificate benefiting an influential member of the Communal Council, wiping away a 70 million dirham liability.
For the spiritual capital, a municipality grappling with strained finances and halted infrastructure projects due to liquidity shortages, the write-off triggered intense public scrutiny. Critics argue the waiver represents an unearned privilege granted behind closed doors to safeguard political alliances at the direct expense of the municipal treasury.
The Prefectoral Appeal Over Municipal Staffing
The institutional fallout intensified the following morning, Wednesday, October 7, when city councillors Ali Laghsab and Oussama El Idrissi filed an official petition at the prefecture of the Fes-Meknès region. Their formal request targets the opaque recruitment of casual workers spanning the municipal mandate since October 2021.
Following the recent leak of nominative lists across municipal districts, the councillors alerted the wali to the existence of alleged phantom jobs. The submitted correspondence alleges that monthly salaries and allowances from city funds are disbursed to individuals who never report to work. The filing claims a system of patronage allowed relatives of elected officials and affluent notables to draw paychecks originally designated for road-maintenance workers, prompting demands for a complete audit and the restitution of the disbursed funds.
Mayor Bekkali Fights Back on Two Fronts
Caught between the spectacle of resignation and the formal challenge lodged with the state representative, Mayor Bekkali pushed back against the allegations, dismissing the controversy as political agitation. Addressing the temporary workforce issue, the council president stated that the municipality employs roughly 1,050 casual workers assigned to operational duties such as green spaces, public lighting, and road maintenance.
Denying widespread nepotism, Bekkali defended the recruitment figures by asserting that attendance records are validated by department heads and that unexcused absences result in immediate termination of pay. Rather than engaging the staffing dispute politically, the municipal leadership moved to the judicial arena, condemning the dissemination of the personnel lists as an illegal violation of personal data and pledging support for workers seeking to file complaints against the leak.
Regarding the disputed 70 million dirham property tax file, the municipal presidency maintained that its actions adhered strictly to tax regulations. The administration has previously launched defamation lawsuits against individuals questioning its integrity on the matter.
State Oversight Awaits the Inspectorate’s Verdict
By escalating the dispute to the wali’s desk, the dissenting councillors have shifted the debate away from municipal chambers and into the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. With tens of millions of dirhams in taxes allegedly erased and personnel budgets questioned, the governance mechanisms of the city now rest on the findings of state auditors and inspection bodies.
