VZCZCXRO7303
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHRB #0606/01 0961445
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061445Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6257
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 5684
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3267
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4589
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 2872

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 000606 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM MO
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS MINISTER DEFENDS 
ANTI-CORRUPTION LEGISLATION 
 
REF: 06 RABAT 2173 
 
This cable is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: In a March 27 meeting, Parliamentary 
Affairs Minister Mohamed Said El Alami told Ambassador that 
new legislation before parliament will require senior GOM 
officials to declare their assets.  Contrary to the charges 
of some members of parliament and press speculation, the 
Minister insisted that the law will also be applied to 
Ministers and other royally nominated positions.  El Alami 
said the legislation, intended to increase government 
transparency, is still encountering resistance within 
parliament, especially in the upper house.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In a March 27 meeting with Ambassador, 
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohamed Said El Alami insisted 
that press speculation claiming Ministers and other appointed 
officials would be excluded from new legislation requiring 
select government officials to declare their assets is 
incorrect and unfounded.  (NB: As the legislation currently 
stands there are separate bills referring to the Chamber of 
Representatives, Chamber of Councilors, Constitutional 
Council, Judges, Court of Accounts, and Civil Servants.)  In 
January, the King announced that Ministers and other senior 
government officials nominated by royal decree will also be 
subject to this legislation.  El Alami, however, noted that 
Ministers and other nominated officials would not be 
specifically mentioned in the legislation, but that the 
palace would release a decree obligating them to declare 
their assets.  This caveat was not initially understood by 
members of parliament, which resulted in "uninformed 
comments" alleging that they were unfairly singled out by the 
government, added El Alami. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) While the government has proposed new legislation, 
El Alami explained that the idea of declaring assets is not a 
new concept in Morocco as some have claimed.  The current 
legislation builds on a law that has been on the books since 
1992 (law n. 192-143).  The 1992 bill is full of flaws, lacks 
an effective implementation mechanism, and as a result, has 
never been properly enforced, according to El Alami.  (Note: 
The current legislation targets a wide range of financial 
resources; including real estate, bank accounts, 
shareholdings, securities, inheritances, vehicles, contracted 
loans, and other high value items, such as antiquities. End 
Note.)  He highlighted the government's new approach, which 
includes 6 separate bills that complement the 1992 law, as a 
positive step towards ensuring the effective enforcement of 
the law.  The proposed legislation would require 
approximately 730,000 people to declare their assets, 
according to the ministry, which has resulted in calls for 
the creation an independent oversight body under the Prime 
Minister's control -- reportedly not included in the proposed 
legislation. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) El Alami maintained that the objective of the 
legislation is to increase government transparency and argued 
that no political party, member of parliament, or government 
officials should oppose an initiative that intends to inject 
a "sense of ethics" in to the government structure.  For 
their part many members of parliament, particularly upper 
house councilors, have (incorrectly) assumed that their 
immunity status should extend to the obligation to declare 
assets, explained El Alami.  (NB: After a government 
investigation related to numerous reports of corruption or 
improper activities surrounding last September's upper house 
election, several members of parliament and local government 
officials received jail sentences on corruption-related 
charges. See reftel) 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Despite the government's recent efforts to clarify 
this contentious issue, some members of parliament will 
continue to express their objection to the legislation, 
unconvinced of the need to publicly divulge what they 
consider sensitive and personal information.  The issue will 
be high on parliament's spring session agenda, which kicks 
off on April 13. 
 
****************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat 
****************************************** 
 
 
RABAT 00000606  002 OF 002 
 
 
RILEY