Photo: Malj83 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Nationality Moroccan — Business / industry / finance

Saïd Alj

Documented profile covering 4 controversies, including “Pandora Papers: yacht held through offshore company in the British Virgin Islands” and “Unimer Proteins: group subsidiary caught up in investigation involving 3.6 tonnes of cannabis”.

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Profile No. 0632 · Updated on 12 October 2026

4Documented controversies

10Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

2024

Unimer Proteins: group subsidiary caught up in investigation involving 3.6 tonnes of cannabis

Investigation

A container of fishmeal shipped by Unimer Proteins, a subsidiary of the group controlled by Saïd Alj, was found to contain more than 3.6 tonnes of concealed cannabis. Police raided the Safi site to establish whether the company or certain employees had been complicit or negligent.

State of the evidence: Documented
Attribution: Indirectly implicated

Sources · 3

[1]
YabiladiSafi : Descente à l’usine Unimer après la saisie de 3,6 tonnes de cannabisMediaHigh reliability
[2]
Le Nouvelliste MarocAffaire Unimer Proteins : première réaction du GroupeMediaMedium reliability
[3]
Le DeskUnimer Proteins pris dans les filets d’une affaire de trafic de cannabisMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 18 August 2026

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avant 2021

Pandora Papers: yacht held through offshore company in the British Virgin Islands

No legal proceedings

The Pandora Papers documented an offshore company based in the British Virgin Islands used to hold a yacht shared by Saïd Alj and other Moroccan figures, revealing an opaque asset-holding structure in an offshore jurisdiction.

State of the evidence: Documented
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
Le DeskSaid Alj, l’architecte Omar Alaoui et sa fille, l’actrice Morjana, sur le même yachtMediaHigh reliability
[2]
ICIJ Offshore Leaks DatabaseBrowse by country Morocco — Pandora PapersDatabaseHigh reliability

Last verified: 18 August 2026

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2020

Covid-19 cluster in Safi: criticism of health conditions at Unimer factory and rebuke from Interior Ministry

No legal proceedings

A Unimer Group canning factory in Safi became a major Covid-19 infection cluster. Female workers and trade unions denounced inadequate preventive measures and requested testing; Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit publicly rebuked Saïd Alj amid criticism of laxity in the private sector.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: Not applicable

Sources · 3

[1]
TelQuelFoyers de contamination : les sardinières de Safi, nouvelles victimes du profit ?MediaHigh reliability
[2]
Le DeskSaid Alj, «roi de la sardine» tancé par Abdelouafi Laftit pour le cluster d’UnimerMediaHigh reliability
[3]
Le360Covid-19. Le site industriel de Safi, déclaré foyer de contamination, appartient au groupe UnimerMediaMedium reliability

Last verified: 18 August 2026

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2020

CGEM: backing his nephew Chakib Alj's candidacy and controversy over control of employers' organisation

No legal proceedings

Africa Intelligence described Saïd Alj as the patron or sponsor of his nephew Chakib Alj and Mehdi Tazi's candidacy to lead CGEM. A few months later, the conflict between the Interior Ministry and the new employers' leadership was portrayed as an offensive against the 'Alj clan', fuelling controversy over family influence within the employers' organisation.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: Not applicable
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
Africa Intelligence / Maghreb ConfidentielSaïd Alj, mécène du tandem Chakib Alj-Mehdi Tazi pour la CGEMMediaHigh reliability
[2]
Africa IntelligenceMinister of Interior Abdelouali Laftit slams Alj clan's control of employers' associationMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 18 August 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.