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Rabat – As head of government Saad Eddine El Othmani announces plans to establish the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to fight corruption and enhance transparency in the kingdom, the opposition has called for coalition leader to avoid tackling social issues.
As part of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, the NACC will be responsible for monitoring and implementing the different strategic orientations, measures, projects and procedures susceptible to reinforce transparency, to combat corruption and to convey the values of morality and transparency, Othmani told the House of Representatives Tuesday.
The commission will also assist the various sectors concerned by the general anti-corruption policy, he explained, specifying that the draft decree establishing the Commission and the related bodies will be adopted in the near future.
At the meeting, opposition representatives said the government should stay clear from social issues, claiming it had previously failed in every social reform. They gave as an example the fight against prevarication, noting that this violation of the law and abuse of power continues.
The opposition also criticized the Justice and Development Party government’s handling of the moralization of public life and the fight against corruption, calling for the launch of a comprehensive reform of the public sector and the simplification of administrative procedures in order meet the urgent needs of citizens.
Majority parties stressed the importance of citizens’ satisfaction with public services, calling for their improvement and acceleration, as well as the reconciliation of citizens with public administrations.
They also suggested that the needs and affairs of citizens should be treated at the local level, and that the government should capitalize on the achievements made by Morocco in the fight against corruption, noting that the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which is promising, requires efficient implementation.
National Anti-Corruption Commission
Bringing together various government authorities, institutions and bodies as well as representatives of the civil society and the private sector under the head of government to fight corruption, the NACC will “allow for the monitoring of programs, procedures and measures to combat corruption, ensure continuity in the execution of these projects and assess their levels of achievement,” El Othmani explained.
The establishment of the NACC is part of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy adopted by the government in December 2015, which aims to restrict corruption in concrete terms by 2025 and to strengthen the confidence of citizens and the international community in Moroccan institutions.
“This national strategy, based on references, namely the Royal High Guidelines and constitutional principles, is based on axes relating to governance, prevention, repression, communication, awareness-raising, education and training,” the head of the government noted.
El Othmani explained that the various measures envisaged by this strategy will be implemented in 230 projects representing 10 main programs over a period of 10 years. “In order to achieve the expected objectives, priority was given to the sectors most exposed to corruption, in order to determine responsibilities and fix deadlines for the implementation of the various strategic programs,” he continued.
The fight against corruption and the moralization of public life is a long and complicated process, the government head said, and one which requires a strong political will and the mobilization of the various administrations and bodies, as well as civil society, the media and citizens, in order to put an end to the causes of corruption.
El Othmani also spoke of a series of measures taken by the government during the previous mandate, in particular the establishment of a toll-free number to identify corruption in public institutions, which the government intends to erect as a call center. He also cited the generalization of competitive recruitment in the Public Service and the promulgation of several related laws.
He reported on the interaction with the supervisory and governance bodies, recalling that in 2016, 2,992 prosecutions of corruption crimes were registered, while 57 cases were referred by the Court of Auditors to the Ministry of Justice and are currently before the courts.
