Lawyers: How the crisis was defused

Activity in Morocco’s courts has resumed after a month of disruption. This is the result of arbitration led by Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch to defuse the crisis between lawyers and the Minister of Justice over the draft law relating to the profession. However, the text was adopted by the Government Council on January 08. It should be noted that the head of government has not yet submitted the bill to Parliament. Lawyers from the Istiqlal party have also taken a stand against the text, even though their ministers have approved it.
In any case, on February 11, Aziz Akhannouch requested a meeting with the president of the Moroccan Bar Association (ABM), Houceine Ziani. The latter ended up convening an emergency meeting of his office at the headquarters in Rabat, which lasted several hours and culminated in the publication of a press release. The statement said that the meeting with the Head of Government was marked by a responsible and frank discussion of the text. The Association’s board welcomed the composition of the joint committee tasked with revisiting the text, which also includes representatives from the ABM. In addition, the Head of Government promised not to submit the bill to Parliament, which is considered a step forward in restoring trust between lawyers and the Government, the statement said.
One observation was not mentioned in the press release: the minister concerned did not attend this meeting and there is no mention of whether or not he is a member of this commission. Behind the scenes, it is understood that Abdellatif Ouahbi was abroad. The question that arises is whether he was informed of this meeting and why it was not postponed until his return. Another question is whether Aziz Akhannouch decided to withdraw the file from Abdellatif Ouahbi, whose relations with lawyers are very poor. This is especially relevant given that the lawyers’ strike has brought the courts to a standstill and they have decided to step up their protests. Furthermore, with the legislative elections approaching, this movement risks disrupting the electoral process.
Another explanation for the Head of Government’s reaction could be linked to the initiative taken by opposition groups at the end of the week. PJD deputy Abdallah Bouanou approached the president of the ABM and Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi to propose parliamentary mediation. The aim is for opposition groups to lead this mediation. The minister agreed. The head of government may therefore have attempted this maneuver to pull the rug out from under the opposition.
Mohamed CHAOUI