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Rabat – The Moroccan government council has approved Bill 46-19 on the National Authority for Probity, Prevention, and the Fight against Corruption (INPPLC).
Government members approved the draft law during a meeting on Thursday, June 11.
The bill aims to strengthen the role of the INPPLC as a national governance institution that fulfills its duties in a cooperative framework, complementarity, and institutional coordination with public authorities and other institutions, said Government Spokesperson Said Amzazi following the meeting.
The draft law is also set to enhance the INPPLC’s ability to carry out its missions in terms of promoting probity and transparency and preventing corruption, Amzazi added.
During the meeting, Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani stressed the importance of the bill, saying it will give the INPPLC greater authority and capacity.
Government members approved the draft law after a presentation from the Minister of Economy, Mohamed Benchaaboun.
The new legal text is part of Morocco’s 2016-2025 national anti-corruption strategy. On January 7, El Othmani presented the strategy’s achievements during the third Conference of State Parties to the Arab Anti-Corruption Convention.
The national plan, based on a participatory and inclusive approach, is “essential for the consolidation of citizen’s confidence in institutions by fighting concretely and continuously against corruption,” El Othmani said.
According to the official, the program has improved anti-corruption services through upgrading reception facilities in public administrations, launching a website dedicated to complaints, and digitizing administrative services.
The initiative has also strengthened transparency and access to information, as well as promoting accountability, El Othmani added.
On January 21, the head of government reiterated the anti-corruption plan’s achievements before the House of Councillors, saying that Morocco is on the right track in its fight against corruption.
“The success of the anti-corruption efforts contributes to the achievement of the expected development and to the improvement of the investment and business climate, as well as the living standards of citizens,” El Othmani said.
Morocco has placed the fight against corruption at the heart of its concerns, he stressed.
While El Othmani is optimistic about the government’s efforts and results in the fight against corruption, Moroccan citizens have expressed differing opinions.
In December 2019, Transparency International issued a report revealing that 74% of Moroccans believe that the government is not doing enough to tackle corruption and that politicians are actively involved in bribery and corrupt practice.
“The handling of corruption cases reveals a gap between leaders’ promises and real action. According to the [study] results, one in four Moroccans think most or all judges, magistrates, and police are involved in corruption,” said the document.
More than half of the Moroccans questioned in the survey (53%) believe that institutional corruption is on the rise, the report added.
The study also examined bribery and found that 31% of Moroccan citizens have paid a bribe in the past 12 months.
