Al Alam: Official says Morocco needs corruption-specialized justice
Morocco, Judicial, 4/23/2003

Chairman of the Moroccan human rights Consultative Council (CCDH), Omar Azziman, upheld the setting in place of a jurisdiction specialized in corruption and public funds embezzlement cases, arguing that Morocco needs such a court.

In an interview with Arabic daily "Al Alam," the former justice minister said the present situation in the country requires the creation of a jurisdiction specialized in financial crimes and, more generally, in fighting embezzlement and corruption.

Morocco already has a special court of justice that handles cases of financial crimes, but there was recently a controversy that these crimes should be examined by the regular judiciary system.

He said the present structure (the special court of justice) should not be kept in its state, nor should it be merely dismantled because Morocco needs this type of court. There are two options, he went on, the creation of a specialized court in financial crimes that will offer all guarantees provided for by the common law jurisdictions, or creating, within courts of appeal, a specialized body.

Azziman was however reserved on the second option given the diversity of cases examined by regular judiciary courts, which would made it difficult to probe criminal crimes in depth and deliver pertinent sentences.

He further explained that the specialized jurisdiction is made even more necessary, owing to Morocco's Islamic values and social ethics that ban public funds embezzlement and corruption and to the kingdom's commitment to consolidate the rule of law, consecrate democracy and the defense of human rights. In addition to these considerations, Azziman cited political and economic reasons that require that Morocco reconsiders its anti-corruption and mis-management legislation.

Worth noting in this regard that some countries, in order to avoid having specialized courts, use a unified general court system, with judges who have or acquired expertise in handling special cases, in order to avoid having a multitude of specialized courts for corruption, business, science issues etc. and the problems such divisions cause in administration and lack of uniformity in administration and standards.

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