Morocco Unveils Ethics Code for Officials in Anti-Corruption Push

"We are finalizing the code of ethics for all government officials. It is the head of government who will implement it through a decree that is in the final phase so that this code becomes mandatory," said Hassan Dabchy, advisor to the head of government for the fight against corruption, in an interview with LesEco.ma. This is one of Morocco’s mechanisms to fight corruption.

According to the advisor’s explanations, the code of ethics manages the behaviors and attitudes of government officials towards the citizen. Moreover, the provisions of the code of ethics will also be enforceable against the administration’s partners. "And even for temporary operations, an administrative consultant is required to sign this code of ethics," he indicates.

According to Hassan Dabchy, the aim is to preserve and strengthen citizens’ trust in the integrity and impartiality of the public administration, to promote transparency within state bodies and enterprises, and to make administrations and civil servants accountable. "The code lays down, in broad terms, the values and behaviors that civil servants must adopt in all activities related to the exercise of their duties," he says.

For the effective implementation of the code, it is planned to set up, as the advisor to the head of government for the fight against corruption specifies, an ethics officer, an ethics reference person, as is already the case in the financial sector through a BAM circular. "We also have the ambition to set up ethics committees," he adds.