Clinton Foundation set to receive $1m in donation firm owned by foreign government, says report

Revelation will add to questions to family charity's reliance on foreign money

Hilary Clinton at press conference last week

The Clinton Foundation is reportedly set to receive at least $1m from a firm owned by the government of Morocco – a move that will raise further questions about the family charity’s reliance on foreign donations as Hillary Clinton stands poised to enter the US presidential race

The Politico website said the donation from a phosphate firm owned by Morocco will be ahead of a meeting next month that the charity is due to hold in the country.

Clinton Foundation spokesman Craig Minassian did not confirm the Politico report about the donation from OCP, but said on Thursday that international participants in the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Marrakech in early May would work on “specific, measurable plans to address pressing global challenges”, the Associated Press reported.

The CGI is a subsidiary of the Clinton Foundation, which is headed by former President Bill Clinton, Mrs Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea.

In February, in response to mounting criticism about donations from foreign sources, the Clinton Foundation said it might reconsider future contributions from foreign governments and companies if Mrs Clinton runs for the White House. It is not clear whether the planned conference was operating under any ethics restrictions.

OCP, or Office Cherifien des Phosphates, is said to be the world’s leading producer of phosphate rock and one of the top global fertiliser exporters. Based in Casablanca, the company’s directors include several top government ministers, including the heads of the nation's foreign affairs and interior ministries.

The firm's chief executive is Mostafa Terrab, who also lobbied on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco in 2013 and 2014, according to US government records.

Mr Terrab filed papers under the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act showing that he worked for Morocco between November 2013 and May 2014, advising Moroccan government officials and helping them prepare for meetings with US officials about economic development issues relating to Africa.

The AP said that in the records, Mr Terrab also noted that “as the CEO of OCP, I work to advance the company's interests on a range of commercial and economic issues that could also serve to benefit the Kingdom of Morocco”.

Clinton Foundation officials acknowledged that OCP was a sponsor of the Marrakesh meeting and that sponsors’ funding would be used for the event's logistics and production. Foundation officials also said that Mr Terrab would speak at the Marrakesh event.

According to Clinton Foundation records, OCP previously donated between $1m and $5m to the charity in 2013. Foundation officials said the gift was made before Mr Terrab filed his foreign agent registration form in November 2013.