Education Minister refers Pioneer Schools contract irregularities to prosecution

Morocco’s Minister of National Education and Early Childhood Education Mohamed Saad Berrada has referred a case involving irregularities in the so-called «Pioneer Schools» contracts to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to Al Akhbar newspaper.

The move comes after detailed reports by the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Education and the General Inspectorate of Finance uncovered a series of violations in contracts awarded by regional education academies to major companies.

Al Akhbar further reports that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has forwarded the minister’s complaint to the Public Prosecutor at the Rabat Court of Appeal. The National Brigade of Judicial Police has since been tasked with carrying out in-depth investigations and judicial inquiries into the alleged irregularities. The Public Prosecutor received the investigation reports and hearing records on January 7 and is expected to issue a decision in the coming days.

The contracts under scrutiny reportedly involve millions of dirhams in public funds and span several regional academies for education and training.