Tue 18 February 2020:
Chief Public Prosecutor in Morocco Mohamed Abdel Nabawi warned his judges not to be affected by social media claims related to fighting corruption.
He stressed that the Public Prosecution’s duty to address corruption crimes and protect public or private funds, “shall not be affected by discussions taking place on social media.”
Nabawi said people should rely on legal investigations and the search for legitimate arguments and evidence.
“The presumption of innocence is the legal principle that one is considered innocent until proven guilty by legitimate means and in a fair and impartial trial that is not affected by emotions, desires and personal impulses,” he said.
He made his remarks during the inauguration of specialized training courses in financial crimes for public prosecution judges in the departments concerned with financial crimes.
Nabawi said combating corruption is “difficult, but constitutes the essence of justice that we are all entrusted with while carrying out our tasks.”
“There is no need to remind you that your role in combating corruption is not only a social and legal necessity, but also an implementation of a constitutional requirement and one of the human rights,” he stated.
Training on research and investigation skills in financial crimes and raising capabilities to accommodate the behavior of violators must respect the presumption of innocence and legitimate legal rulings, Nabawi explained.
“The probing and corroboration of crimes cannot be carried out by violating the rules of a fair trial and by not observing the legal guarantees for the accused, victims and witnesses alike.”
The purpose of these courses, which were launched by the Presidency of the Public Prosecution for the benefit of its judges, is to qualify them “to be able to confront this type of sophisticated criminality.”
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