Social media accounts posted a photo of Fatih Birol, Director General of the International Energy Agency, and Leila Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, in which the latter appears wearing a dress. The caption read: “A Moroccan minister officially welcomes her foreign guest, wearing clothes that no nightclub dancer would wear.”
Kashif verified the image via Google Images search and found it to be old and manipulated. It was circulated in May 2024, and Minister Benali was not wearing a dress.
The Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development published the original image on its website on 17/5/2024, accompanied by the following headline: “Paris, Minister’s talks with the International Energy Agency.” The ministry stated that Minister Benali, during a working visit to Paris, held talks with the Director-General of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Joseph Birol, on strengthening cooperation between Morocco and the agency in the field of energy transition.
A closer look at the original image reveals that Leila Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, is wearing a formal outfit, unlike the one depicted in the circulated image. Fatih Birol, Director General of the International Energy Agency, has also had his tie and shirt altered.
The Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development also posted another photo from the meeting on its X account on 16/5/2024, showing Minister Benali in her official uniform, identical to the original photo on the ministry’s website.
