In the historic center of Rabat, a building adjoining the parliamentary enclosure is the subject of a contested administrative approach. An unfortunate expertise says it threatening ruin; Its occupants see it as a maneuver intended to oust them. In the background, the discreet interest of institutional managers for the recovery of the premises. Suspicions have increased since a parliamentary delegation, led by the President of the Chamber of Councilors has also made it, evoking the interest in a possible recovery of the building in order to establish annexed offices. No official project has been announced.
A palpable turmoil shakes up the immediate surroundings of the siege of the Moroccan parliament where a adjoining building, dating from the middle of the last century, is the subject of a controversy with the hints of abuse of influence and maneuvers of skillfully carried out.
According to elements collected by Barlamane.coma heterogeneous commission – made up of agents from the Directorate of Fire Services, representatives of the territorial authority, the Ministry of Culture and the Urban Municipality of Rabat – has made a methodical inspection of the building in recent days, at the request of its current owner. This alleys that the building would present an imminent danger of collapse, invoking an report emanating from an unauthorized design office, which concludes the structural instability of the whole.
An assertion firmly rejects the occupants, including lawyers, doctors, notaries and representatives of banking establishments, installed for a long time in the premises. All argue of the integrity of the foundations, identical to those of the neighboring hemicycle, and rely on the detailed opinion of a duly sworn legal expert, concluding that simple rehabilitation works, without the slightest imminent peril.
“We try to dislodge us in defiance of any legal decency, on the basis of a most fallacious technical artifice”deplores Isaac Sharia, lawyer at the Rabat bar and secretary general of the free Moroccan party (PML). “I seriously observe that this case seems to be served by barely veiled political aims, and I cannot help seeing an insidious extension of my frontal opposition to the orientations of the executive”he continues.
A very coveted building
According to several concordant sources, a delegation from the Chamber of Advisors, led by the president of the said institution, recently went to the scene with the aim of installing parliamentary annexes. This approach would be supported, behind the scenes, by influential interests anxious to accelerate the expulsion of the current occupants, in defiance of the elementary procedural guarantees.
The building in question also enjoys a particular legal status, having been classified intangible heritage of the capital within the framework of decree n ° 2354.11 of June 20, 2011, published in Official bulletin From August 25, 2011. It is therefore the perimeter of goods protected by UNESCO, any structural intervention being subject to strict conservation requirements.
The multiplication, in recent months, of major real estate projects in the city of Rabat, thanks to the next reception of major sports competitions – notably the CAN and the World Cup – nourishes growing concerns about the preservation of the old architectural tissue. Many promoters, sometimes controversial, would be on the lookout for speculative operations, at the risk of offending the rights of users and compromising the urban authenticity of the Moroccan capital.
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