Morocco needs 800 additional judges to overcome lawsuits backlog
Morocco, Judicial, 10/7/2003

The Moroccan justice needs an additional 800 magistrates in order to be able to process the cases clogged up in Moroccan courts, said justice minister Mohamed Bouzoubaa.

The minister said Moroccan judges are working three times as hard as their colleagues in other countries, with a similar level as Morocco. He said Moroccan courts process around 3 million cases annually. This means, he added that each of the 3,000 magistrates handle an annual average of 1,000 cases..

About 600,000 new cases remain unprocessed every year, said the minister before arguing that the courts computerization will help clear this backlog and the slowness in handling lawsuits.

The new reform that concerns training, further training, modernization and setting deadlines for the processing of lawsuits are also likely to help overcome the justice problems, he told a television show.

Asked on the new penal law enacted recently, the minister said the law is part of a comprehensive system and was preceded by amendments to the public freedoms law, particularly the press law and the law regulating associations and meetings. The minister further explained the new law is part of the Kingdom's irreversible option for democracy and of a series of actions meant to adapt the Moroccan legal system to the constitution, in accordance with the King's instructions.

Novelties of the amended penal law include rescinding the college of judges and returning to the single judges in some cases so as to free judges for other cases, assigning to prosecutors the mission to conduct weekly inspection visits to prisons and favoring friendly settlement as an approach that reduces the number of prison sentences.

He went on that the new penal code has established some balance between the rights of individuals and those of the society while guaranteeing conditions of fair trial to the defendant and other parties.

Regarding the minister's attributions under the new law, he said the holder of the justice ministry portfolio is not entitled to interfere in justice although he is empowered to give instructions to the public prosecutor who is free to fulfill his duty independently.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan high-ranking officials involved in drug trafficking, official   (8/27/2003)
  Morocco to abolish special court of justice   (8/7/2003)
  Morocco has one judge per every 10,000 inhabitants   (8/7/2003)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search