Staffers claim Twiggy Forrest has been seeing Moroccan politician Leila Benali for months

Staff inside billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s mining empire claimed he has been romantically involved with a female Moroccan politician for some months.

Staff inside billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s mining empire have claimed he has been romantically involved with a female Moroccan politician.

Mr Forrest, 62, was photographed passionately kissing a woman in the Place de Vosges in Paris at the weekend.

The woman who had enjoyed the romantic walk with the Australian green energy champion along the Rue des Francs-Bourgeois on the banks of the River Seine was later identified as Morocco’s energy minister Leila Benali.

Confronted by Moroccan media, Ms Benali at first declined to comment. “No, no I will not speak,” she said before being escorted clear of the media.

Andrew Forrest captured enjoying a passionate kiss in Paris by the Daily Mail.

A statement later released to Morocco World News claimed she was preparing to start defamation proceedings over the “offensive publication” of the picture in The Daily Mail and her name in The Australian.

It said Ms Benali “denies any connection to either picture as a minister responsible in the government as well as a Moroccan woman and mother”.

Instead it said the publication was an “attempt to defame” her by “interest groups” seeking revenge for failing to achieve their goals.

A spokesman for Mr Forrest’s Fortescue mining company refused to comment on just who his billionaire boss was pashing in Paris.

But a staff insider told The Daily Telegraph the pair have been romantically linked for some months.

It is understood Ms Benali was in Paris on ministerial business at the weekend which coincided with the arrival of a Fortescue delegation to the city. Mr Forrest flew on to the Moroccan capital of Rabat on Tuesday night.

Leila Benali, Morocco's energy transition and sustainable development minister, who has been named as the woman seen kissing Australian billionaire Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest in Paris. Picture: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg

Ms Benali was part of the official reception committee who welcomed Mr Forrest to Rabat in February after they had both been in the Swiss town of Davos a month earlier.

Mr Forrest split from his wife Nicola after 31 years of marriage last year and announced they had agreed to “live apart” with no mention of a divorce. This is the first time he has been romantically linked publicly with anyone else.

Ms Benali is an energy expert who was appointed Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development in 2021 and in that role sits on the board of the state-owned OCP group that Fortescue is partnering with.

Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest who has declined to comment on his relationship with Morocco’s energy minister Leila Benali.

A Fortescue spokesman said yesterday: “The Fortescue team is working with key stakeholders as we continue to develop our ambitious strategy with OCP, developed over more than two years, to develop green energy, hydrogen and ammonia in Morocco.

“We are committed to working with OCP to build a world-leading and globally competitive platform to accompany Morocco’s journey into a green energy production, manufacturing, and industrial powerhouse,” he said.

But the plans to build a green ammonia hub and giant wind and solar farm near the fishing town of Tarfaya in south western Morocco have run into problems. The town is close to the disputed border with Western Sahara and Moroccan troops have been attacked by the separatist Sahrawi people.

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