President of Republic Receives National Document on Reform, Development of Justice

On 12 July, in Nouakchott, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El-Ghazouani, the President of the Republic, President of the Superior Council of the Judiciary, received the National Document for the Reform and Development of Justice, which constitutes a summary of the Estates General of Justice.

The document was handed over by the Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Cheikh Abdallahi Ould Boye, who is the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Estates General of Justice, during an audience granted by His Excellency the President of the Republic to the members of this committee at the Presidential Palace in Nouakchott.

At the end of the meeting, the chairman of the steering committee of the Estates General of Justice made the following statement to the Mauritanian news agency:

“In the name of Allah, most gracious and most merciful, And prayers and peace upon His Messenger,

Today, His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, did us the honor of receiving the Steering Committee of the Estates General of Justice. The meeting was an opportunity to present the national document for the reform and development of justice in application of the recommendations of the Estates General of Justice organized last January under the supervision and high patronage of His Excellency.

As part of the implementation of the commitment of His Excellency the President of the Republic, President of the Superior Council of the Judiciary, to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and to bring its services closer to the citizens, the Ministry of Justice has placed the reform and development of justice among its priorities to translate this commitment into action.

Thus, in September 2020, the Council of Ministers approved the declaration submitted by the Ministry of Justice to organize the Estates General on Justice, to shed light on the main justice problems and involve the actors of the political, economic, and social life in collective management for a new era of justice in the country. The summary of these forums is contained in the document that we presented today to His Excellency the President of the Republic, President of the Superior Council of the Judiciary.

This summary is intended to be the basis of all government policies and programs in the area of justice that reflect the broadest consensus of actors and partners on justice. This is to ensure that the reform envisaged is not just another attempt without effect.

Also, the document was designed in such a way as to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Thus, it was stressed that the new approach to reform must be a systematic approach that embraces justice in all its components and takes into account their interdependence to improve the functioning of the institution.

According to the National Document for the Reform and Development of Justice, the planned reform revolves around five main axes:

– Developing the status of justice professionals and improving their conditions, Facilitating access to justice;

– Improving the quality and efficiency of justice;

– Reforming the criminal justice system and the prison system,

– Accelerating the digitization of justice, rehabilitating existing buildings, and building new courthouses.