Akhannouch tried to bribe former deputy Bové

Tags : Moroccogate, Qatargate, Morocco, DGED, European Parliament, Antonio Panzeri, Eva Kaili, Francesco Giorgi, Moroccogate, Mohamed Belahrach, Fight Impunity, No Peace Without Justice, Corruption,

In 2012, hundreds of Moroccan government emissaries knocked on the doors of MEPs to convince them to say yes to the treaty liberalizing trade agreements between Rabat and the European Union. Among them also an ambassador and the minister of agriculture at the time, Aziz Akhannouch, now prime minister of the government of Rabat. So said José Bové, a former French MEP for the Greens, in a 2017 interview with the authors of “Inside the agreement”, a video investigation – which reached the final of the Dig prize – on the effects devastating effects of the treaty between the Union and Morocco on agriculture in southern Europe.

A story that can be read today in a different light. Bové indeed reveals the context of the trade agreement between the European Union and Morocco signed in 2012. And he recounts having received an attempt at corruption from the Minister of Agriculture of Rabat at the time, today now Prime Minister of Morocco. “I saw the Moroccan minister several times, including in my office. When he saw that I was once morest the treaty, he tried to change my mind. He asked me for an appointment to give me something, but I don’t know what, he never told me. He asked me to meet him in a secluded place away from prying eyes. I accepted and when he called me back to find out the address, I told him it was my lawyer’s office. And the case ended there. It is clear that he did not come to the meeting but it is clear that he wanted to ‘buy me off’ and make me change my mind regarding the treaty”, says the former MEP. Bovè recently repeated his accusations on France Inter radio and for this reason he was denounced for defamation by Akhannouch, who today leads the Moroccan government.

What is certain is that Rabat’s pressure on the EU is confirmed by the Maroc-Leaks: hundreds of classified cables dumped on the net from 2015 which reveal the lobbying maneuvers carried out throughout the world by Moroccan 007s. It appears from these documents that the agreement was pushed by all means both by Moroccan lobbyists and by certain MEPs considered close to the Maghreb country, such as Pier Antonio Panzeri, the man at the center of the investigation into the pots -de-vin allegedly paid by Rabat. , but also from Qatar, at the heart of the community institutions.

#Qatargate #Morocco #European_Parliament #Eva_Kaili #Antonio_Panzeri #Francesco_Giorgi #Qatar #Moroccocleaks #Mohamed_Belahrach #MoroccoGate #DGED #Yassine_Mansouri #Jose_Bove #Aziz_Akhannouch