The 2009 cable, which quoted a Moroccan businessman, said the royal
family was demanding payment for the approval of any development project.
The cable cited Omnium Nord Africain, a Moroccan holding company owned by
the king, which approves all large projects.
"To have discussions with anyone else would be a waste of time," a cable
said.
ONA was said to have come under the direct control of the king and two
of his aides. The cables, released by WikiLeaks, said the company has been
benefiting from the real estate boom in Morocco, fueled by Gulf Arab
investments and the purchase of homes by leading Saudis.
"Corruption is prevalent at all levels of Moroccan society," another
State Department cable said.
The cables appear to confirm reports by the Moroccan opposition of
widespread official corruption. The opposition has asserted that the king
refused to disclose his interests in Moroccan companies awarded government
contracts and permits.
ONA was deemed a leading company in Morocco. In 2008, the company came
into the spotlight when the chief executive officer of ONA's
telecommunications subsidiary was fired on allegations of mismanagement.
U.S. diplomats did not appear surprised by the dismissal at ONA. Cables
from the U.S. embassy in Rabat asserted that the king regularly replaced ONA
senior executives.
"The palace can be very demanding," the cable quoted an unidentified
Moroccan executive as saying. "When the palace calls, if you don't pick up
the phone on the first ring you're in trouble."
The State Department did not expect the king to end or reduce his
investments. The cables said Mohammed held a stake in "virtually every major
real estate project here."
"A former U.S. ambassador to Morocco, who remains closely connected to
the palace, separately lamented to us what he termed the appalling greed of
those close to King Mohammed VI," a cable said. "This phenomenon seriously
undermines the good governance that the Moroccan government is working hard
to promote."
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