Morocco’s Minister of Justice defended the “transparency” of the national bar exam on Sunday, during his appearance on a TV program on the national 2M channel.
“There was no clientelism. The exam was supervised by a committee composed of several people,” said Abdellatif Ouahbi, defending the integrity of the results, which sparked wide controversy across Morocco.
The minister brushed aside questions about the opening of an investigation into the exam, a demand echoed by students, NGOs, judicial institutions and politicians alike.
“I launch an investigation when I receive a complaint from a candidate. There are only 103 candidates who have asked for the revision of the correction of their papers. We received them all,” said the minister.
Faced with nepotism and favoritism allegations, Ouahbi defended the success of some students, who were revealed to be the sons and daughters of powerful people in politics and the law sector.
“These people have been surrounded by the legal profession since they were children“ argued the Minister, giving an example with his own son, who also passed the bar exam.
“My son, for example, followed a training of four years in my office,” he said.
The minister took the opportunity to “contextualise“ his previous statements that outraged many citizens, where he sarcastically attributed the success of his son to “his father’s wealth and Canadian diplomas.”
On these comments, Ouahbi argued he “was provoked,” saying: “I am spontaneous and my spontaneity causes me problems when I defend my convictions.”
However, the people’s qualms with Minister Ouahbi did not only concern his close relatives who have passed the exam, but also members of his close political circle, belonging to the party he heads, the Modernity and Authenticity Party (PAM).
“I have no right to ban any candidate who meets the pre-selection criteria for this bar exam, namely having a law degree and being under 45 years of age,” argue the Minister, saying the contenders “did not committed any irregularity.”
Ouahbi then went on to deny fake news that have been circulating since the outbreak of the exam controversy, assuring he is not leaving government, and remains PAM Secretary General.
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