صحافة بلادي صحيفة إلكترونية مغاربية متجددة على مدار الساعة تعنى بشؤون المغرب الجزائر ليبيا موريتانيا تونس
RabatIn a new development that reflects the continuing tension between the Ministry of Justice and lawyers’ bodies, Minister of Justice Abdel Latif Wehbe announced that the Ministry has begun monitoring and collecting blog posts and comments published by a number of lawyers regarding Draft Law No.66.23relating to regulating the legal profession, in preparation for subjecting it to a legal study to determine whether it includes disciplinary violations or acts that may be of a criminal nature.
Wehbe explained, during a meeting of the Justice, Legislation and Human Rights Committee of the House of Councilors, that the ministry has not yet decided on the nature of the measures it will take, but he stressed that the option of referring some blog posts to the Public Prosecution remains on the table if it turns out that they include acts criminalized by law, indicating that the decision will be taken after consultation with the Prime Minister.
The Minister of Justice added that the Ministry is evaluating what was published by some lawyers on social media sites, considering that some of these posts, according to his assessment, exceeded the limits of freedom of expression and legitimate criticism, and reached a level that violates due respect for constitutional institutions, recalling in this context the requirements of Chapters263 and 265 of the Criminal CodeTo verify its applicability to some published content.
Wehbe pointed out that among the examples that the ministry found was a blog post by a trainee lawyer in which he called, according to him, for referring a number of his colleagues to disciplinary councils, considering that such positions highlight the need to enhance training related to the constitutional and institutional culture within the legal profession.
The Minister also announced his conviction of the necessity of including a special course on constitutional politics in lawyers’ training programs, with the aim of enhancing knowledge of the competencies of constitutional institutions and establishing a culture of respect for the law, while emphasizing that this does not conflict with the freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
These statements come in the context of the ongoing controversy accompanying Draft Law No.66.23Regulator of the legal profession, which in recent months has sparked a widespread dispute between the Ministry of Justice and the components of the profession, especially the Association of Bar Associations in Morocco and a number of professional bodies, due to requirements that those who reject it consider as affecting the independence of the profession and the self-regulation of the bodies.
The Association of Bar Associations in Morocco had previously expressed its rejection of a number of articles of the project, considering that they include “regressions” that affect the independence of the profession and its constitutional role in defending rights and freedoms, and called for a review of the text in a way that preserves the immunity and independence of the profession, while the Ministry of Justice confirms that the project falls within the workshops to modernize the legal system and develop the framework regulating the profession.
Source:“My press”
