Approval of the draft criminal law requires deepening discussion

Mustafa Paytas, Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament and the official spokesman for the government, considered that postponing the Government Council’s approval of the draft criminal procedure law “is normal, given the importance of the law and its large size, which requires deepening the discussion about it.”

The government spokesman said in a press conference following the government council meeting, today, Wednesday, that the Criminal Procedure Code is “a very large law, comprising about 500 chapters, and it is very natural for the government to take some time to further deepen the discussion of its various contents.”

Paytas explained that there is work to which a group of sectors contributed, but “some issues need to be discussed in depth,” which indicates that some contents and requirements in the project presented by the Minister of Justice, Abdel Latif Wehbe, have not been agreed upon.

Paytas added that the government presented the project today, and “in the coming weeks it will be approved, then referred to Parliament for discussion and approval,” without providing further details about the subject.

For months, the political arena has been living in a rhythm of intense anticipation, especially after repeated statements in which the Minister of Justice expressed that the project includes reforms that express his orientations and convictions, acknowledging that he encountered difficulties in convincing the parties involved in the issue.

In a separate issue, Baitas responded to a question about the Bank of Morocco’s report on monetary policy by saying: “I do not comment on these reports, and we must note the positive spirit that it brought, especially on major issues such as inflation.”

The government spokesman said that “there is appreciation for the work that the government is doing,” stressing that each institution has “its own angle and reading that differs from others, and the Bank of Morocco in critical readings,” adding: “But in other institutions there is something of impressionism,” in a clear insinuating message from him to the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the High Commission for Planning, about which the government has expressed its annoyance on several occasions with the reports and figures it issues.

Baitas stressed that the government is “certain that the reforms it has undertaken have had an impact, especially in terms of controlling inflation rates,” noting that despite the difficulties and shocks, “the government has bet heavily on public investment,” which has enabled it to achieve growth rates that would have been higher had the agricultural sector not declined due to drought.