Morocco: Renewed debate over justice reforms

The debate over corruption in Morocco has been rekindled following statements from Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi concerning his planned reforms of the country's judicial system.

At a press conference on January 29th – the first of its kind for El Fassi – the prime minister told journalists a restructuring of Morocco's judicial system is one of five main areas on which his government is currently focussing.

Justice Minister Abdelwahed Radi told Magharebia that judicial reform is the single largest challenge faced by his organisation. "Today in Morocco we have sound legislation, competent judges and experienced officials, but the system is under-resourced," he said, adding that if his department can manage to overcome shortages in human and financial resources, Moroccan courts will be able to improve their performance and better serve taxpayers.

Another priority, according to Radi, is the overbooking of judges.
In Morocco, there are 3,320 judges working on more than three million cases per year. This, he says, poses a real problem for the quality of the rulings given. "We think that if we can get the human resources we need, we should be able to improve the quality of our judicial system across the board."

To overcome the present shortfall in the justice sector, the ministry would need roughly 2,600 new magistrates.

In the meantime, Radi announced an action plan for reform based on available resources to improve Moroccan courts and judges' working conditions. Under this plan the government will purchase more than 9,000 computers, establish a new IT database and set up a professional training programme for judges.

The justice minister also proposed the creation of four courts of appeal and 16 courts of first instance. "It is in this area that we must take steps to serve Moroccan taxpayers more effectively," he concluded.

According to some legal experts and civil society workers, success in justice reform remains part of the fight against corruption among magistrates.

NGOs in civil society are calling for an anti-corruption law to be created in Morocco to accompany these reforms to ensure that justice will prevail.

Many Moroccan citizens hope for transparency and judicial independence. Azzeddine is a property developer in his forties. He said he feels justice reforms must be the very top priority today: "It’s urgently needed, because it guarantees individual freedom and citizens’ rights," he said.

Maître Mohamed El Nouidi, a lawyer in Casablanca, said justice reform still has a long way to go. He said it is impossible to engage in a reform programme without seriously tackling the problem of corrupt magistrates. El Nouidi stressed that justice reform requires suitable training for judges, the need to execute judgements and the implementation of administrative procedures which are straightforward and transparent for taxpayers.

To meet these goals, El Nouidi said, the support of the political class is needed and members of the Higher Council of Magistrates should be elected and not appointed.

By Hassan Benmehdi for Magharebia in Casablanca