Morocco's justice minister calls for lifting exceptional nature of special court of justice

The Moroccan Justice Minister on Tuesday stressed the need to reform the laws and procedures governing the Special Court of Justice, laws that he termed as "outdated."

It has become an emergency to put an end to the exceptional character of this court in view of the outdated laws and procedures that govern it, Mohamed Bouzoubaa told the Moroccan first TV channel.

The Rabat-based Special Court of Justice is part of the jurisdictions of exception in Morocco. Made up of a President and four judges and a public prosecutor, the court punishes certain crimes (concussion, corruption, trading of influence and public or private funds skimming) committed by civil servants or magistrates when the amount of money embezzled or misappropriated equals or is higher than 25,000 dirhams (nearly US$ 2,500).

It is difficult to accept this type of courts with an exceptional character, particularly after the enforcement of the 1996 constitution which consecrated the concept of human rights as they are universally recognized, Bouzoubaa said.

The minister recalled previous proposals to dismantle the court and transfer its prerogatives to other tribunals. He added that his department is studying all possible options.