One protester, Mohammed, held up a sign reading: "Belguel stole our fish, the state stole our jobs."
The Belguel group employed nearly 3,000 people directly and thousands more indirectly in the fishing and logistics sectors. Since the freeze on its assets was announced, the port of Agadir has seen a 12% drop in container traffic. Fishermen are protesting outside the Wilaya (governorate) because the group's cold storage units—now sealed by the police—hold their unsold catch. belguel moroccan scandal from agadir exclusive
Our exclusive documents suggest that the Belguel group operated a private logistics terminal in the industrial zone of , just north of Agadir. It is here, dock workers claim, that containers destined for Europe were frequently "re-labeled." One former employee, who met us in a café near the Souk El Had, stated: "We never asked questions. You would see a container marked 'Frozen Sardines' leave at 2 AM. But sardines don't require armed guards and three trucks." The "Belguel Moroccan Scandal," as it is now being called on local forums, alleges that the company was a conduit for smuggling fuel and subsidized Moroccan goods across the Mauritania border, defrauding the state of hundreds of millions of dirhams. The Mystical Connection: The Moulay Factor This is where the story takes a strange turn—one that makes this scandal distinctly Moroccan. One protester, Mohammed, held up a sign reading:
