Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights Committee Examines Government Bill on National Authority for Integrity and Prevention and Fight Against Corruption
The Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights Committee at the House of Representatives held a meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020, chaired by Committee Chairperson Taoufik Maimouni, and attended by Minister of Economy, Finance, and Administration Reform Mohamed Benchaaboun. The meeting was devoted to pursuing the examination of Government Bill 46.19 on the National Authority for Integrity and Prevention and Fight Against Corruption (INPPLC).
The Bill delimits the competences of the National Authority for Integrity and Prevention and Fight Against Corruption, which was created under Article 36 of the Constitution, its formation and organization modalities, its operatingrules, and incompatibility cases.
In this respect, the Minister noted that "the conceptual and legal framework is established by several international agreements ratified by the Kingdom of Morocco. Also, the Authority's independence is a constant principle and cannot be subject of conflict between the Government and the Parliament as Article 159 of the Constitution plainly stipulates the independence of good governance bodies."
The Minister also noted that “the Authority’s scope of action determines its points of convergence with other bodies and public institutions as it will join a system that aims to implant good governance and transparency mechanisms.”
Besides, Mr. Benchaaboun added that “the Government bill on the Authority for Integrity has come to being after 18 months of concertation with all ministries and concerned bodies, including the legislative branch and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the draft under examination is a consensus formula.”
During the open debate with the Committee members, the deputies stressed the importance of including explicit provisions that stipulate the Authority’s independence, especially that Article 159 of the Constitution stipulates the independence of good governance bodies.
The Committee members also commented on the Authority's competences and called for revising the overall text, and specifically the provisions relative to the Authority organs, its operating procedures, and its relations to the judicial bodies and the Parliament.