Government Takes Action Against Mismanagement of Construction Permits
The central authorities at the Ministry of Interior have mobilized provincial governors in the Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, and Fès-Meknès regions to address serious mismanagement issues regarding construction permits, residential divisions, and major projects within their jurisdictions. This decisive action is based on updated information contained in alarming reports submitted by the internal affairs departments of the provinces, which uncovered numerous cases of obstruction in the issuance of building and housing permits, significantly hindering various investment projects since the appointment of these new governors.
Reliable sources informed Hespress that these reports highlighted a "blockage" in the processes for granting construction permits within local communities, where municipal councils have become obstacles to facilitating investment initiatives. Furthermore, planning departments within municipalities, particularly those surrounding major cities, have faced scrutiny, receiving inquiries to address noted irregularities in the issuance of housing compliance certificates.
According to the same sources, the reports from the provincial authorities revealed various violations attributed to heads of planning departments and employees suspected of engaging in the fabrication of illegal justifications for issuing permits. This situation poses risks of administrative and judicial accountability for those involved, as well as for elected officials who may face removal procedures under Article 64 of the organic law governing local authorities, which allows for legal dismissal proceedings in administrative courts.
The repercussions of this accountability are expected to extend beyond elected officials, as judicial investigations are anticipated against employees and technicians suspected of manipulating building permit records. Reports from internal affairs have indicated that project owners face significant difficulties in securing the necessary permits, with their applications often only progressing through channels controlled by employees who have been known to withhold applications for extended periods, sometimes up to one year. This has been exacerbated by the increasing influence of certain heads of planning departments, who have taken control of various provincial offices and interfered with all administrative powers, thereby obstructing projects and investments under the guise of strict compliance with the law.
Furthermore, the reports suggest the presence of forgery in construction permits, involving the reuse of old permit numbers to deceive administrative authorities and legitimize illegal constructions. Judicial rulings have increasingly invalidated these practices, following investigations conducted by the gendarmerie, which have led to questioning technicians and administrators regarding how certain influential individuals have obtained building permits signed by municipal heads under suspicious circumstances, utilizing duplicated numbers from previous exceptional permits to create fraudulent documents that circumvent administrative scrutiny.
In this context, the sources have indicated that final administrative rulings confirmed that the original permits had fulfilled their intended purposes, and their reuse was deemed fraudulent, warranting demolition actions. As a result, it is expected that governors will issue strict directives to enhance field monitoring of ongoing construction sites, through regular inspections conducted by municipal planning departments, in order to mitigate excesses and suspicions of corruption and bribery, and to ensure transparency in the permit issuance process. This comes in light of the rising number of disputes noted during final inspections between project owners and municipal administrations.
It is noteworthy that the central authorities at the Ministry of Interior had previously issued strict instructions to municipalities to adhere to the laws governing construction, particularly the provisions of Decree No. 2.13.424 concerning the approval of the general construction code, which specifies the form and conditions for the issuance of permits and the documents mandated by legislative texts. These measures aim to curb the chaos currently observed in the procedures for granting housing permits and compliance certificates.
As reported by hespress.com.
