Agadir 24
Nadia Fattah Al-Alawi, Minister of Economy and Finance, presented new data regarding the issue of Russian gas, which sparked widespread controversy, following news was leaked that some fuel companies had imported it at a cheap price and sold it at international prices inside the Kingdom, by manipulating the documents and invoices of its source.
Nadia Fattah said, in response to a question from the Socialist Group, that imports of Russian gas to Morocco increased by 13 percent between January 1 and February 27.
The government official added that the data of the Customs and Direct Taxes Administration show that the share of Russian gas imports accounted for 9 percent in 2020, while it decreased to 5 percent in 2021, to rise to 9 percent in 2022.
As for the declared value, Al-Alawi stressed that the average price of a ton of Russian gas reached 9,522 dirhams per ton, compared to 10,138 dirhams per ton for the rest of the imports of gas from other countries. That is, a difference of 6 percent in the period from January 1 to February 27.
The Minister of Economy and Finance did not fail to explain that the price of 170 dollars per ton, which is mentioned in the question of the Socialist Group, i.e. 1,771 dirhams per ton, with the calculation of the average exchange rate of the dollar, “remains far from the average traded price.”
In this regard, the same spokeswoman added that the documents and evidence of the source are subject, like other documents attached to the customs declaration, to customs control, whether immediate or remote.
Nadia Fattah added, “Any tampering with it exposes the authorized person to the injunctive penalties stipulated in the Code of Customs and Indirect Taxes, without prejudice to other injunctive penalties.”
