Updates to the Kingdom's judicial map, jurisdiction and organizational structure of the Ministry of Justice.

New Judicial Map and Legal Framework
📌 The new judicial map is established by Decree No. 2.23.665 of November 10, 2023, published in the Official Gazette on December 28, 2023, implementing the provisions of Judicial Organization Law No. 1.15.
⚖️ This reorganization is guided by four main directives: Royal directives calling for bringing justice closer to citizens, the 2011 Constitution establishing judicial independence, recommendations from the Justice Sector Reform Roadmap, and the need to align with regionalization and administrative decentralization.
📑 The organizing decree comprises five schedules detailing the locations and jurisdictions of various courts: Ordinary Courts (Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance), Commercial Courts, Administrative Courts, Judicial Centers attached to Courts of First Instance (currently 83 centers), and Courts of Appeal with specialized chambers (Financial Crimes).

Key Updates in the Judicial Map
⬆️ Four Judicial Centers (including Arfoud, Ifrane, Chichaoua, and Demnate) have been upgraded to Courts of First Instance.
🆕 A new Judicial Center was established in Aghram, subordinate to the Taroudant Court of First Instance.
🏛️ Specialized Commercial and Administrative Courts were created or reorganized, often situated in regional capitals to align with decentralization goals (e.g., Tangier now has an Administrative Court of First Instance, an Administrative Court of Appeal, and a Commercial Court of Appeal).

Ministry of Justice: Competencies and Central Structure
🔑 The Ministry of Justice retains core competencies despite judicial independence, including developing justice sector reform strategies and programs.
📜 Key functions involve drafting legislative and regulatory texts related to the justice system, often through participatory approaches.
👮 The Ministry contributes to defining general guidelines for criminal policy and is responsible for promoting and developing human rights and fundamental freedoms.
🧑‍⚖️ It oversees the management of nationality files and the supervision of legal and judicial professions (e.g., lawyers, notaries, bailiffs).

Central Administrative Structure of the Ministry of Justice
👑 The central structure is headed by the Minister of Justice (currently Mr. Abdelatif Ouahbi), a political appointee, supported by the Ministerial Cabinet (Director of the Cabinet is a political appointee, not a career civil servant).
🔍 The structure comprises the Inspector General (reporting directly to the Minister) and the Central Administration, which includes the Secretary-General (who supervises the central directorates) and eight Central Directorates.
⚙️ The eight Central Directorates cover crucial areas: Civil Affairs and Legal Professions; Criminal Affairs, Amnesty, and Crime Monitoring; Legislation and Studies; Modernization and Information Systems; Human Resources; Budget; Equipment and Property Management; and Cooperation and Communication.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The Inspector General's office is subordinate only to the Minister of Justice and focuses on financial and administrative inspection of courts, ensuring the unification of working methodologies nationwide.
➡️ The Secretary-General supervises the eight central directorates and ensures coordination, but does not supervise the Inspector General.
➡️ HR management falls under the Directorate of Human Resources, which handles strategic planning, recruitment (including the ongoing competitive exams), and managing the administrative careers of judicial staff.
➡️ The Directorate of Legislation and Studies is responsible for drafting legislative projects, collecting observations, and publishing legal updates to enrich the legal framework.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Feb 12, 2026, 18:27 UTC