Philippe Casenave, formerly the Consul General of France in Marrakech, was removed last week due to allegations of “misuse of France’s Marrakech state property.”

According to three French diplomats who spoke to Politico, Casenave rented out his official apartment from 2017 to 2021 to a “friend” who worked as an interior designer and hosted “prostitutes” there.

The scandal’s details were first made public by the French foreign affairs ministry in 2021 after that ministry began a probe into the problem, according to internal papers obtained by POLITICO.

According to the internal inquiry into this conduct, the consul’s acquaintance often received “young people, presumably prostitutes” when the consul was away.

According to the investigation, which Politico cited, “all of this revealed a clear ethical lapse, an abuse that very likely tarnished the reputation of the general consul in Marrakesh.”

The designer reportedly staged a number of parties at the 785 square meter French state-owned riad, using dinnerware and cutlery with the emblem of the French Republic for his “unofficial” celebrations.

The ambassador was forced to resign from his position as distinguished protocol chief just a few days after being appointed to it because to the discoveries.

The matter is being looked into by French officials as well.

The matter is causing quite a stir in French diplomacy, and it calls into question the Republic’s ineffective background check procedures.

Read Also: “Matkissh Weldi” condemns former ambassador for sexual exploitation of underage girls, asks for maximum sentence

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On January 4,2021, Lawrence Randolph appointed new Consul General of the United States of America in Casablanca.

Randolph has served in the United States and abroad in a number of ways. A diplomat since 2003, his recent international post was as Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Algiers where he managed a team of almost 500 and oversaw the transition of the Embassy from an unaccompanied to fully accompanied mission. Prior to this experience, he worked in Frankfurt, Germany where he served as the head of the Public Affairs after spending a year in Kabul, Afghanistan leading the External Affairs Unit under the Political Section.

He was responsible for reporting on Afghanistan’s affairs with countries in the region and multilateral organizations. The new US Consul General in Casablanca was also part of a team of diplomats and military officers negotiating a bilateral security agreement between the United States and Afghanistan. In addition to his diplomatic experience, Randolph worked in the United States with several American politicians. He held the post of Special Assistant in the offices of Secretaries of State Hilary Clinton and John Kerry.

During the period of one year, he served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, advising the Deputy Secretary of State on matters of public diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa during the Arab Spring. Just before taking up his post in Morocco, Lawrence Randolph worked with the Director-General of the Diplomatic Corps Service. A position that allowed him to help build a global employee resilience and wellness program called TalentCare. On his course of study, the new consul has a Masters in Public Affairs Management from Colombia University and he also speaks Arabic, French, German and Spanish.

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