Minister of Justice Mr. Abdellatif Ouahbi made last Wednesday evening, November 2, 2022, at the House of Representatives a comprehensive presentation about his department balance sheet in 2022 as well as main outlines of the ministry’s sectorial budget for 2023.
In his intervention before the justice, legislation and human rights commission at the House, he has announced that programs expected for next year are based on constitutional foundations and have come in the context of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s supreme orientations, notably the royal speech on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the Throne feast, in which the Monarch has insisted on the necessity for a family status revision.
The Minister has also outlined mobilization this year of all human and financial resources to reinforce legislative reforms as well as logistics and infrastructure as this was expected in the government program and in the budget bill for this ending year, adding that the Justice Ministry is well determined to close, next year, open major projects and ensure the implementation of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s supreme instructions in favor of rule of the law state and the promotion of jurist and judiciary security, which are essential, for the king, to achieve a global development.
Upgrading judiciary system
The balance sheet presented by Justice Minister before deputies members of the above-mentioned commission, has included several components, notably coordination, cooperation and unconditional support for the independence of justice, simplification, and digitization of the judiciary administration, upgrading judiciary system, reinforcement of infrastructure as well as promotion of equity and gender approach.
Regarding the first component, about independence of justice, Minister Ouahbi has referred to concretization of provisions of 2011 constitution which established a total independence of the judiciary autonomy with regard to the Justice Ministry and foreseeing the creation of a higher council of the judiciary power and the institution of Public Ministry Presidency, which represent a big step forward on the track of a broad and deep reform of the justice system and also an exemplary experience that needs more deployed collective efforts to ensure its success.
Concerning registry digitalization, Minister Ouahbi has stated a new digital transition strategy, relying on adaptation of legal system to digitization projects, including reorganization and restructuration of the Justice Ministry to be in line with structural changes in the sector, improvement of performances of litigants and professionals, a good governance of managing data and making easier channels of communication between the judiciary administration and litigants and professionals and securing information system.
As regard to modernization and reinforcement of infrastructure, Minister Ouahbi has informed that the ministry’s concerned services will ensure to provide land for the construction of buildings, their location, and their exploitation by courts all over the Kingdom judiciary districts, mentioning also rehabilitation and extension of many buildings as well as their equipment, in addition to preservation and archives documentation inside courts.
Dedication of gender approach
Minister Ouahbi has, on the other hand, raised the question of dedication of gender approach within efforts to achieve the goals of sustainable development of 2030 and also in implementation of government program commitments 2021-2026, more particularly means to improve the condition of Moroccan women, citizens dignity which are seen as essential for public policies to reduce both territorial and social disparities, the instauration of equality, access for everybody to public services and reduction of gender inequality in the judiciary administration field.
Adding that within the framework of the New Development Model, a new vision has been conceived at the ministry in favor of gender approach and its institutionalization.
Minister Ouahbi has also raised revision of penal code policy through adaptation of national regulations with the Kingdom constitution and international conventions in this register as well as in the consolidation of guarantees for a fair trial and the improvement of the justice penal code, estimating that human rights and freedoms protection is an irresistible choice.
In the context of the Justice Ministry’s commitments, Mr. Ouahbi has indicated that his department is intending to elaborate several legal texts as being programmed in the legislation in course (2021-2026) which some of them have already been published in the official bulletin and others are right now at the government secretariat.
Justice Moralization is unavoidable
Moreover, Minister Ouahbi has stated that justice moralization is unavoidable to counter all kinds of prevarication and derivation, adding that this is essential to comfort the trust of litigants in justice and bring justice to play the role of moralizing public life. On this topic, he has raised the major role played by general inspection of the Justice Ministry.
Concerning projects being programmed by his department as for next year, he stated the following up of a study and elaboration of many project bills and other organic bills in the sphere of civil and penal codes inscribed in this legislation.
At the level of rehabilitation of human resources and enhancing institutional capabilities and social services, the Minister has announced that next year will be marked by the establishment of a bold program on integrated management of human resources and adoption of new management mechanisms on competencies capital.
Back to upgrading courts infrastructures, Mr. Ouahbi has announced that 24 courts of justice as well as conference rooms, in addition to rehabilitation of a number of courts will be projects for construction across the Kingdom.
Concerning budget programming, courts accounts and perceptions, the Minister has stated that 25 projects are scheduled for next year and have already benefited from necessary loans in 2023 project bill.