Public Finance Control Committee Organizes Communication Meeting on the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight against Corruption

The Public Finance Control Committee at the House of Representatives organized a communication meeting on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, on the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight against Corruption (INPPLC). The meeting was presided over by the Chairperson of the Committee, Rep. Latifa Lablih, with the presence of the President of the Authority, Mr. Mohamed Bachir Rachidi, and some Authority members, namely Ms. Nadia Anouz, Mr. Abdessamad Sadouk, Mr. Rachid Lamdaouar, Mr. Abdelkhalek Chamachi, the General Rapporteur of the Authority, Mr. Khalid Yaaqoubi, and its Secretary-General, Mr. Ahmed Laâmmoumri.

In her opening statement, the Chairperson of the Committee noted that the meeting is introductory to a second one devoted to the presentation of the interventions of the Parliamentary Groups and Caucus on the Authority’s Report for 2021, ahead of elaborating a report that should be referred to the Board of the House.

In the same respect, the Chairperson of the Committee noted that the presentation by the President of the Authority would enable the Representatives to review the Authority’s Report and its content, which would allow them to discuss it constructively and contribute to the evaluation of the public policies related to the prevention and fight against corruption.

During the meeting, the President of the Authority, Mr. Mohamed Bachir Rachdi, gave a brief overview of the achievements of the constitutive period, which was a transition to a new era in the field of combatting corruption where the Authority assumes a pivotal role under the National Strategy to Combat Corruption, which culminated in the promulgation of Law 46.19 on the National Authority for Probity, Prevention, and Fight against Corruption, that has solidified the institutional structure of combatting corruption.

Besides, the President of the Authority presented the main headlines of the annual report for 2021, summarized in five axes:

1. Development and diversification of objective diagnosis and presentation of constructive evaluation;
2. Deepening of studies and research on the priority themes;
3. Presentation of the mechanisms of legal and procedural regulation of the practice of the missions of reception of complaints and reports, and conduct of research and investigation;
4. Establishment of a new dynamic in the National Strategy and implementation of methodical bases for the evaluation of its projected impact;
5. Presentation of the main operational activities.

For his part, the General Rapporteur of the Authority tackled the main conclusions of the Authority’s thematic reports, which aim to fuel the dynamic of changing the methods of combatting corruption. The concerned reports were:

1. Combatting illicit enrichment: For the implementation of a legislative perspective to grasp the various aspects of this phenomenon and curb its manifestations;
2. Opinion of the Authority on the amendment of the Criminal Code;
3. Reporting corruption: For a constructive social and institutional dynamic to combat corruption.

On the same occasion, the President of the Authority called for monitoring and diagnosing the outcomes of its recommendations and addressing other priority themes by adapting the Criminal Code to the procedural requirements for combatting corruption, implementing an appropriate legislative orientation to prevent illicit enrichment, identifying the effective mechanisms to fight it, and advancing the system of reporting corruptive acts to strengthen the collective engagement. Moreover, Mr. Mohamed Bachir Rachdi stressed the importance of analyzing the backgrounds of illicit enrichment, examining the provisions in force and the proposed amendments to the draft Criminal Code, granting the necessary safeguards to advance reporting and uncovering of corruption crimes and facilitate their referral to the judiciary, ensuring judicial efficiency, and protecting reporters.

For their part, the Representatives commended the missions entrusted to the Authority and its efforts in the prevention and fight against corruption. They also praised the openness of the Authority to the legislative institution, noting the importance of solidifying and pursuing cooperation between it and the Representatives of the nation, which would give impetus to the efforts of combatting corruption and enhancing anti-corruption indices.