Wehbi Calls for Regulation of Judicial Experts While Ensuring Their Independence
Abdelatif Wehbi affirmed that the issue of judicial experts is one of the most critical challenges faced within the Moroccan justice system, due to their decisive role in cases presented to the courts, to the extent that they can indirectly influence the rulings.
The government official explained during a meeting of the Justice and Legislation Committee in the House of Representatives that the problem begins with the nature of a judge’s work, who may not be specialized in technical aspects, necessitating reliance on expertise to form a conviction based on precise data. However, this role grants experts considerable influence, which, according to Wehbi, requires regulating them under an established authority, criticizing what he perceives as leniency from the public prosecution in dealing with them.
The minister emphasized that the complexity of this issue makes experts one of the foremost challenges facing the judiciary, highlighting that the goal is to find a balance between supervising their work and respecting their independence. He clarified that the principle of independence does not contradict the necessity for regulation, stating that all legal professions, including lawyering, remain free in practice but are obliged to operate within a structured legal framework.
He also pointed out that this topic raises both ethical and legal questions simultaneously, acknowledging the difficulty in finding clear solutions, saying, “They have perplexed me.”
In a related context, Wehbi revealed a previous discussion with Mohamed Abdennabaoui regarding the potential employment of judges with technical backgrounds, such as engineering, who would undergo judicial training to enhance the judiciary’s competence in handling technical cases and reduce the influence of experts.
He also addressed consultations with the Ministry of Economy and Finance concerning the issue of experts determining property values, even though official records exist with public administrations that could contribute to this process, raising questions about the limits of expert intervention and its accuracy.
