“The current security challenges, particularly transnational crime, require public prosecution bodies worldwide- and especially in Africa and China- to develop effective mechanisms for judicial cooperation,” said Hicham Balaoui, the King’s Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation and President of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, on the occasion of the Sino-African Prosecutors-General Cooperation Forum.
In an address delivered on his behalf by Jamila Sedqi, Advocate General and Advisor to the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Kingdom of Morocco, Balaoui stressed that the fight against transnational crime is no longer a purely national matter, but a shared responsibility requiring complementary roles and unified efforts based on cooperation and mutual trust.
He underlined that Sino-African cooperation in the judicial field is gaining importance as a privileged framework for translating common values into concrete programmes and tangible projects.
Such cooperation, he added, helps promote shared development and ensure legal security, notably through enhanced joint investigations into cross-border offences, the exchange of legal information and technical expertise, the development of joint training and visits, and the protection of investments and joint projects against criminal risks- thus contributing to the establishment of a safe and attractive legal environment for investment and development.
In this regard, Balaoui reiterated the commitment of the Moroccan Public Prosecution Authority to making its expertise available to Sino-African cooperation mechanisms in the judicial field, in order to “contribute to building a development model based on justice, transparency and the rule of law.”
He also recalled Morocco’s actions in the area of international cooperation, including accession to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, the signing of its Second Additional Protocol, active participation in international legal and judicial organisations, and the establishment in Rabat of the forthcoming permanent headquarters of the Association of African Prosecutors, aimed at promoting the exchange of experience and expertise among African prosecution magistrates while strengthening their capacities in modern criminal justice.
Balaoui further highlighted Morocco’s efforts to modernise and digitalise its judicial administration, strengthen the professional capacities of magistrates, and promote digital justice, particularly in response to cybercrime and organised transnational crime.
Held under the theme “The Role of the Public Prosecution in Modernising the Judicial System in China and Africa”, the forum provided a valuable platform for exchanging views and experiences regarding the contribution of public prosecutors to consolidating the rule of law, as well as strengthening institutional modernisation and development processes.
Editorial team/le7tv