Moroccan Judge Dismissed for Corruption After Bribery Sting Operation

The facts date back to March 2021, when the judge, then vice-president of a court of first instance in the kingdom, had stopped a motorist on the road and seized his driver’s license, on the grounds that he had committed traffic offenses. The magistrate had demanded the sum of 500 dirhams before returning his license. Feeling wronged, the citizen reported the facts to the police who set a trap for the judge. This is how the magistrate was caught in the act of receiving the sum of 500 dirhams demanded from the motorist. He was immediately brought before the investigating judge who ordered the opening of an investigation.

During his hearing, the defendant claimed to have asked for this sum of money to repair the damage suffered by his vehicle following the accident that occurred with the citizen’s car. An answer that did not convince the investigators, the judge having provided no proof of the alleged accident. In February 2022, the magistrate will be convicted of fraud by the competent court of first instance to a suspended sentence of one year in prison and a coercive fine of 2,000 dirhams. A judgment that will be confirmed by the Court of Cassation.

Also seized of the case, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary has just handed down its decision. Based on Articles 37 and 40 of the general statute of the judiciary, the Council decided to dismiss the magistrate, considering that his act constitutes a serious breach of his professional obligations and an attack on the honor of the judiciary. "The dignity and the other principles that make up the judicial ethics are inherent obligations of the judge, both in his professional and personal life...", can we read in the decision.

The Council stressed that "the failure of a judge to comply with the principles of judicial honor and ethics, or one of them, not only harms the judge at fault, but can also harm the entire judicial body. Such behavior is likely to erode public confidence in the judiciary, which is supposed to be the guarantor of the rights and freedoms of citizens, and could thus compromise the legal and judicial security of citizens". This decision, adds the Council, aims to "consolidate the principles of transparency and integrity within the Moroccan judicial system and to fight against all forms of corruption likely to affect the prestige of the judicial authority".