Morocco Rocked by “Flour and Cardboard Scandal”

Morocco is reeling from a growing political and economic controversy dubbed by local media as the “Flour and Cardboard Scandal,” following explosive revelations by a parliamentarian from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). The lawmaker noted that certain milling companies have been fraudulently receiving state subsidies intended for wheat production—without actually grinding any grain. Instead, they were “grinding paper,” submitting falsified invoices to simulate operations that never occurred.

The revelation has triggered a wave of outrage across the kingdom, prompting the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Appeals in Rabat to order a formal judicial investigation into the matter. Morocco’s National Judicial Police Brigade has been tasked with conducting in-depth inquiries into the companies suspected of illicitly benefiting from the state’s subsidized wheat support system. The probe comes amid mounting public pressure for transparency and accountability in the management of essential goods subsidies—an issue that touches the very core of Morocco’s social and economic balance.

What began as a parliamentary statement rapidly escalated into a national scandal, with MP Ahmed Touizi revealing that some mills submit falsified documentation to justify fictitious wheat grinding operations. Although Touizi later attempted to clarify his comments—stating that his metaphorical use of “paper grinding” was meant to denounce manipulative and deceptive practices exploiting loopholes in oversight—the damage was already done.

Despite the clarification, the controversy has laid bare long-standing suspicions surrounding Morocco’s grain subsidy system, a sector historically plagued by opacity, patronage, and accusations of corruption. The core question now is not merely about mills or invoices—it is about the integrity of public institutions and the fate of millions of dirhams in state funds.

In a scathing commentary, Mohamed El Gholoussi, president of the Moroccan Association for the Protection of Public Funds, castigated the hypocrisy of certain political actors who posture as anti-corruption crusaders while benefiting from the very system they denounce. “Those who have washed their hands in the waters of corruption cannot claim to be reformers,” he wrote. “Opposition is not mere shouting beneath the parliamentary dome—it is an ethical and political responsibility that demands self-accountability before judging others.”

Observers note that the “Flour and Cardboard Affair” extends far beyond the milling sector. It threatens to expose an intricate web of interests entangled in the grain and flour subsidy system—one of Morocco’s most politically sensitive and economically vital programs. Analysts warn that the investigation could serve as a litmus test for the government’s will to uphold justice and transparency in public tenders, especially in the midst of a challenging socio-economic climate marked by inflation, unemployment, and growing inequality.

This scandal is more than a media uproar; it is a mirror reflecting the systemic dysfunction in Morocco’s management of food subsidies, where political privilege, economic greed, and bureaucratic complacency intersect. As citizens await the findings of the official investigation, skepticism abounds. Many fear the case could quietly fade into oblivion—like numerous corruption files before it.

The burning question remains: Will Moroccan justice rise to the occasion and unveil the full extent of this subsidy fraud, or will the “Flour and Cardboard Scandal” be yet another buried chapter in the kingdom’s long history of unaccounted corruption?

Tags: Production, wheat, Morocco, investigation, corruption