Five arrested for suspected cheating in bar exam

Five candidates to the National Bar Exam appeared before the public prosecutor in Rabat on Monday, after they were arrested on Sunday at the examination center on suspicion of cheating.

According to informed sources, exam invigilators found mobile phones near the seats of four of the accused candidates. The fifth individual was apprehended with a device usually used for cheating during exams.

The same sources indicated that three of the detainees are affiliated with the National Committee for Victims of the Bar Exam. The latter previously staged protests against the results of the previous lawyer bar exam.

It is worth noting that one of the candidates who appeared for the  bar exam provided information to the police, stating that the confiscated phones belonged to the individuals currently under investigation.

The controversy surrounding Morocco’s bar exam first emerged when lists became available online. The inclusion of family names belonging to influential and well-known lawyers raised suspicions of nepotism and bias in the grading process.

In an effort to bring an end to the long controversy surrounding the bar exam, the Ministry of Justice in Morocco had announced its intention to organize a new examination by the following year. 

The ministry maintained its stance of refusing to invalidate the results of the bar exams conducted in December 2022, noting that the demands for the cancellation of the exam results were baseless. 

The handling of the recent bar exam had prompted several Moroccan law graduates to protest as they called on authorities to address their demands for a reorganization of the examination.

Protestors argued that certain candidates were given higher grades than their performance warranted, while others were flunked. 

This discrepancy has sparked outrage among law graduates, who believe the results did not reflect an evaluation that is based on merit.