Hibapress
The Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, proceeded, on Monday, to the inauguration of the court of first instance of Laayoune after its reconstruction, as part of the upgrading of judicial infrastructure and the improvement of the working conditions of the justice family.
Accompanied by the Deputy President of the Higher Council of the Judiciary, Mohamed Abdennabaoui, the Attorney General of the King at the Court of Cassation, President of the Public Prosecution Service, El Hassan Daki, the Wali of the Laayoune region Sakia-El Hamra, Governor of the province of Laayoune, Abdeslam Bekrate, the Minister visited the various dependencies of this judicial structure which extends over a total area estimated at 8,764 m², including 8,234 m² covered, requiring a total amount of more than 68.82 million dirhams (MDH).
The building of the court of first instance consists of a basement, a ground floor and two upper floors including four courtrooms, 85 offices, detention areas, archive rooms and a unit for the care of women and children who are victims of violence.
It also includes front offices and offices for judicial and administrative officials, in addition to social spaces for staff.
In a statement to the press, Mr. Ouahbi stressed that the inauguration of this new jurisdiction, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Throne Day, is part of the upgrading of infrastructure at the level of the various judicial districts, particularly in the southern provinces of the Kingdom.
The minister also announced that Laayoune will have a commercial court and an administrative court, which will be operational within the next two years, with a view to completing the judicial structure in the region and bringing justice closer to litigants.
On this occasion, explanations were provided to the minister and the delegation accompanying him on this new judicial institution, which was equipped with a system of self-production of electrical energy via photovoltaic panels and built according to the standards of authentic and modern Moroccan architecture.
Similarly, the delegation received explanations on the establishment of a commercial court and an administrative court in Laayoune, mobilizing a budget of more than 32.90 MDH.
Covering an area of 5,685 m², including 4,174 m² covered, these buildings will consist of a basement, a ground floor and two upper floors including courtrooms, detention areas, offices, archive rooms and other outbuildings.
The minister and the delegation accompanying him also reviewed several projects in progress, under study and other projects which are envisaged at the level of the judicial district of Laayoune, mobilizing a total amount of more than 126.17 MDH, in addition to the establishment of a summer center which covers an area of 7,088 m² (57 MDH).
Concerning the projects currently underway, these are the upgrading of the judicial center which will house the court of first instance of Boujdour (approximately 5 MDH), and the first phase of the Court of Appeal (1.58 MDH).
As for projects in the study phase, they include the construction of a court of first instance in Boujdour (45 MDH) and the construction of the headquarters of the provincial sub-directorates at the Courts of Appeal in Dakhla and Laayoune, requiring a respective amount of 15 MDH, as well as the establishment of a judicial center in Bir Gandouz (11 MDH).
Furthermore, the projects envisaged concern the construction of the Court of Appeal, the administrative court and the commercial court in the city of Dakhla.
In addition, the Minister and the delegation accompanying him learned about the reception conditions for litigants and users at this judicial structure, especially since they attended a remote hearing relating to a criminal case, within the framework of the dematerialization of Justice and the guarantee of a fair trial.
The ceremony was attended by, among others, the first president of the Court of Appeal of Laayoune, Ibrahim Ben Tazarte, the public prosecutor at the Court of Appeal of Laayoune, Mohamed Raoui, and the president of the court of first instance in Laayoune, Bahija Smaili, as well as judicial officials, magistrates, lawyers, elected officials and heads of decentralized services.
