The Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, said that the government remains committed to continuing the ongoing structural reforms, in particular those aimed at modernizing judicial infrastructure and strengthening the skills of human resources in the sector, with the aim of supporting the ambitions of reform of the judicial system. He also stressed that the generalization of family courts to all of the first instance jurisdictions is among the priorities of his department.
In a written answer to a parliamentary question posed by Driss Sentissi, deputy of the Haraki group (MP), concerning the generalization of family courts, Ouahbi specified that by virtue of the judicial organization of the Kingdom, Morocco currently has 87 sections of justice of the family, 75 of which are operational, while 12 are not yet. Among these, some are independent, others are scheduled for projects under construction or study. As such, 39 sections of justice in the family are independent, 28 are under construction or study, and 15 others will be hosted in the former premises of the courts of first instance, once they have been relocated to their new buildings.
In detail, the Minister indicates that 28 independent seats of family justice sections were built according to modern standards and on adequate areas in the following cities: Rabat, Tanger, Larache, Ksar El Kebir, Tétouan, Ouezzane, Berkane, Bouarfa, Taouna, Missour, Azrou, Kasba Tadla, Fquih Ben Salah, Khouribga, Settat, Berrechid, Sidi Bennour, Marrakech (within the Palais de Justice of Sidi Youssef Ben Ali), Safi, Essaouira, Youssoufia, Agadir, Tiznit, Laâyoune, Sidi Slimane, Kelaât Sraghna, Biougra, as well as the Jerada family section activated).
In addition, Ouahbi revealed that 11 sections of justice of the family were transferred to the former premises of the courts of first instance, some of which are currently being planned. These sections concern the cities of Khémisset, Sidi Kacem, El Jadida, Casablanca (social pole), Oujda (wedding and divorce units), Guecif, Meknes, Targuist, Smara, Kenitra (planned global redevelopment project) and Dakhla.
In his written response, the Minister also reports on five sections of justice from the family installed in independent wings in the courts of first instance, with sufficient area. Some of these sections are still under construction. These are the sections of Salé, Benslimane, Sefrou, Tahanaout (not yet activated) and Ben Ahmed (being planned).
Regarding sections in the study phase or awaiting field, their number is 23. Some are currently subject to technical studies, such as those planned in Témara, Rommani, Khénifra, Tan-Tan, Sidi Ifni, Taza, Asilah, Imintanoute, Benguerir, as well as those of Oulad Teima, Fnideq and Assa (not activated). Others are still in the search phase of land and to date have no awarded land. This concerns the sections of Fez, Errachidia, Guelmim, Azilal, Oued Zem, Bejaâd, Chefchaouen, Al Hoceïma, Tata, as well as those of Erfoud and Bouznika (not activated).
-The Minister also said that 15 sections of justice of the family will occupy former premises of the courts of first instance after their move to new buildings. These sections will be located in Tiflet, Mohammedia, Nador, Driouch, Souk Sebt, Midelt, Zagora, Inezgane, Taroudant, Mechra Bel Ksiri, Taourirt, Boujdour, Chichaoua, Demnate and El Hajeb (not yet activated).
In addition, Ouahbi mentioned five additional sections of justice from the family housed in independent wings in courts of first instance or not activated. They are in Béni Mellal, Ouarzazate, Tinghir, Souk El Arbaa, as well as in Er-Rich (not activated).
As part of the court standardization project, the ministry works for the development of architectural spaces that meet adequate standards, including spacious audience rooms, a sufficient number of offices for judicial staff, as well as spaces dedicated to reception of the public, offering a level of service in accordance with their expectations. These developments include equipped reception and listening offices, conciliation spaces, as well as a space reserved for children, with suitable games.
In the same vein, the Minister said that front office counters will be set up in these sections, and equipped with all the necessary equipment in order to allow litigants to access all of the legal services without having to enter the internal offices of the court. He said the new courts all have these counters, with a generalization rate reaching 100 % in recent projects.
As for the old buildings, they are treated on a case -by -case basis, depending on the availability of adapted spaces within them. If this is not possible, front office counters are built outside, provided that the space allows it. In addition, adequate spaces are also provided for archiving, meeting all the technical standards required for the conservation of files.
Finally, Ouahbi recalled that since the entry into force of the family code, on February 5, 2004, the ministry has committed to set up sections of justice of the independent family of the courts of first instance, given the particular nature of this judicial service, intrinsically linked to the Moroccan family unit. This orientation was reinforced by the adoption of the pact for the reform of the judicial system, which insists on the need to develop the infrastructure dedicated to the sections of justice of the family.
