Remote Trials Will Continue - Minister

The experience of remote trials launched in the courts last April will continue in the next phase, Justice Minister Mohammed Ben Abdelkader said Friday in Rabat.

Speaking during a remote meeting with the deputy directors, the presidents of the secretariat-registry and the secretariat of the general prosecutor’s office, Ben Abdelkader underlined that this experience will be improved, consolidated and supervised at the legislative level through a text that will be submitted for adoption in the coming weeks.

In addition, a memorandum of understanding will be signed next week with the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration, relating to the provision of high-speed internet access to ensure the smooth running of this remote trial service, he said.

He also called on the participants in the meeting to contribute effectively to the success of remote trials and to coordinate actions with the judicial authorities and the Ministry of Justice in order to overcome the difficulties that may arise in the process.

The big challenge consists in managing the next stage marked by the resumption of the activities of the courts, given an unstable epidemiological situation marked by a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases and fatalities, he pointed out.

Presenting data concerning the epidemic in the justice sector, Ben Abdelkader noted that the vast screening campaign made it possible to confirm some positive cases among the staff of courts and central administration, adding that a total of 193 cases have been recorded until September 3, the majority of whom have fully recovered.

According to these data, all prevention means have been put in place within the courts, insofar as the ministry has allocated a budget of nearly 8 million dirhams for the acquisition of disinfection solutions, masks, thermometers and thermal cameras in all the courts of the Kingdom.