Pardon Procedure Has No Impact on Civil Compensation, Ministry of Justice

The pardon procedure for the benefit of detainees has no impact on civil compensation since it only concerns judicial penalties, in accordance with the provisions of article 7 of the related Dahir, said on Tuesday the Ministry of Justice.

In a press release in response to a video posted recently on the web showing a lady making the link between the pardon granted to a detainee and her compensation, the department explained that article 7 of the aforementioned Dahir provides that pardon does not, in no case, undermine the rights of third parties. The victim is entitled to request and receive compensation according to the procedures in force, it added.

The prisoners who benefited from this Royal Pardon were selected on the basis of human, social and strictly objective criteria, in accordance with the royal vision to limit the spread of the Coronavirus “COVID-19”.

Referring to the lists of beneficiaries of the exceptional royal pardon, the Ministry revealed that the detainee in question was sentenced to 12 years in prison, of which he served more than two-thirds, in addition he was part of educational programs and showed good behavior.

According to the press release, the pardon focuses on those convicted of criminal acts and not on innocent people, according to a punitive philosophy aimed at rehabilitating and reintegrating detainees.

The Ministry of Justice had said on Sunday that HM King Mohammed VI granted his royal pardon to 5,654 detainees and ordered to take all the measures necessary to strengthen the protection of detainees inside prisons, particularly against the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.

The prisoners who benefited from this Royal Pardon were selected on the basis of human and strictly objective criteria, which take into account their age, their precarious state of health and the length of their detention, as well as good conduct, good behavior and discipline they showed while incarcerated.