Morocco's Judiciary Strengthens Fight Against Corruption

Morocco's judicial authorities are intensifying their efforts to combat corruption, with a particular focus on transnational financial crimes that challenge traditional legal frameworks. Mohammed Abdennabaoui, the President Delegate of the Superior Council of the Judiciary, stated that recent decades have seen the emergence of new legislation related to cross-border corruption, which has disrupted the classic principle of territoriality in criminal law.

“

If the interest of justice and the necessities of preventing impunity support this legal transformation, its application is now posing extremely precise and profound problems for the judiciary, including the problem of reconciling the requirements of preserving the legal sovereignty of states over their territories with the dictates of justice aimed at accepting the relinquishment of jurisdiction in favor of the judiciary of another state.

Abdennabaoui explained that while the interest of justice and the need to prevent impunity support these legal shifts, their application presents complex challenges. These include reconciling the need to preserve national sovereignty over territories with the demands of justice, which may require ceding jurisdiction to other countries' courts.

He highlighted that money laundering and financial crimes are frequently the most prominent forms of transnational corruption, serving as primary channels for illicit fund circulation. In 2025, specialized financial crime divisions in Morocco issued 449 judicial decisions, including fines, confiscations, and civil damages for the state and affected institutions, amounting to billions of dirhams. For money laundering cases specifically, courts issued over 720 decisions against more than 1,496 defendants, with initial fines totaling at least 200 million dirhams, and case resolution averaging 110 days.

“

Money laundering and financial crimes constitute, on many occasions, one of the most prominent aspects of cross-border corruption and its preferred channel for circulating its proceeds.

These figures, Abdennabaoui noted, reflect a growing effectiveness in handling such cases and an increasing capacity of the Moroccan judiciary to target criminal proceeds. He emphasized the golden rule in combating organized crime: stripping it of its proceeds is the most effective way to dry up its sources. The judiciary is also closely monitoring international legislative and judicial developments, referencing laws like the U.S. FCPA and British practices, to draw lessons and improve its mechanisms.

“

These are all indicators that reflect a growing effectiveness in the resolution of this type of case, and an increasing capacity of the Moroccan judiciary to target criminal proceeds in their financial depth, in accordance with the golden rule in combating organized crime: stripping crime of its proceeds is the most effective way to dry up its sources.

Furthermore, Abdennabaoui stressed that combating extraterritorial corruption requires Moroccan companies, especially those operating internationally, to shift from a reactive stance to one of proactive compliance. This involves implementing risk mapping, codes of conduct, employee training, due diligence on intermediaries, verification of beneficial owners, secure reporting channels, and documentation of sensitive business decisions. Compliance, he stated, is no longer an administrative luxury but a condition for competitiveness, reputation protection, and business sustainability. The judicial institutions are also prioritizing continuous training for judges to instill anti-corruption values and emphasize the judiciary's role in purifying public life.

“

Combating extraterritorial corruption requires the national enterprise, especially those operating in international markets, to move from a culture of reaction to a culture of preventive compliance.