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Rabat – Moroccan and international officials are gathering in Marrakech today to discuss the judicial system under the symposium theme, “The Independence of the Judiciary,” which King Mohammed VI referred to as an important aspect for “any judicial system that seeks a greater role in safeguarding rights and freedoms.”
In conjunction with the symposium, the King addressed a message on Monday to the participants of the event, calling on them to seize the opportunity to come up with solutions to “common challenges” facing all international judicial systems, including in Morocco.
The King said in his statement that the symposium is taking a place at a time of major national judicial reforms. According to the sovereign, Morocco is keen to update its judicial sector to meet the demands and modern concerns of citizens, including those engaged in lawsuits.
“My country has sought to lay the foundations for judicial independence, taking the necessary institutional, legislative, and practical measures to that end,” he said.
In his note, the King made reference to Morocco’s constitution and its principles, especially that of impartiality, regarding the judicial system.
According to the King, the Moroccan constitution “prohibits any interference in the cases being prosecuted and the law provides for sanctions against any attempt to influence judges.”
The King promised the participants of the symposium wide-reaching reform, including legislative, organizational, and practical reforms. The said reforms are being prepared by a group of “eminent judges, lawyers, judicial experts, and professionals from the justice system.”
In this regard, the King said that major legal texts have been adopted including the organic laws relating relating to the Higher Council of the Judicial Power and the Statute of Judges, and the legislation that transferred the supervision of the Office of the Public Prosecutor from the Minister of Justice to the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation.
The concept judicial independence from other government branches took center-stage in the King’s statement: he asserted that this concept must be applied on the ground to benefit“citizens, because it asserts the rights of litigants, it entails responsibilities for the judges.”
