[Curiosities] Moroccan Justice Minister Faces Backlash for Dismissing Nepotism Allegations

[BirSaNN]

Many commenters are taking issue with the minister’s dismissive and contemptible tone while addressing allegations of nepotism.

Rabat - Morocco’s Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi is at the center of a growing controversy after roundly dismissing favoritism concerns over the results of the latest bar examination. 

As he confronted a group of journalists on Monday, Ouahbi faced several questions about the authenticity of the bar examination results after leaked lists showed similarities in the surnames of people who passed the exam.

In response to journalists’ questions about suspicions of nepotism, Ouahbi said that those with similar names that passed the exam “are also citizens?” He went on to add derisively: “How many of them passed the exams? 60 or 70 out of 2,000 people who made it?”

Ouhahbi’s comments came as many internet users had linked some of the last names in the results to famous lawyers' families, launching a hashtag that protested the fact famous lawyer's family members appear to be “inheriting” the lawyer profession.

Some have called for an independent investigation to determine the veracity of the much-reported allegations of nepotism and favoritism in the computation of the exam results.

‘This Is Not A Crime’
For Ouahbi, however, the situation is not a crime that demands an investigation.

“This is not a crime for me to open an investigation. I trust the committee. Should I open an investigation just because someone sitting in a cafe asked me to?” he said contemptibly.

The exam was “corrected automatically and not by people,” he argued, adding: “Do they want to publish the list of those who failed, passed, and the grades with names and numbers? Do they want to see the machines that corrected the exams?

When a journalist asked whether Ouahbi’s son also passed the bar examination, the minister answered angrily, saying: “My son has two bachelor degrees from Montreal… His father is rich and paid for his education abroad.”

The statement and the tone of contempt in which it was made enraged many internet users. 

While some felt offended, others accused Ouahbi of suggesting that Morocco’s education system is not good enough for his children.

“By expressing himself in this way, he [Ouahbi)] seems to have forgotten his status as a politician and minister, arousing more mistrust,” said one particularly outraged commenter, stressing that the minister’s remarks are also a “blow to public education in Morocco and to  Moroccan universities.” 

Another commenter took aim at Ouahbi’s suggestion that his wealth guaranteed his son a good education, stressing that he himself has many respectable degrees although his father is not rich.

“Mr. Ouahbi, my father is not rich. He is a retired gendarmerie official and not a minister,” he said. “I have a high technical degree in electrical technology, a state engineer diploma in industrial engineering, and a degree in public law, and I am a PhD candidate exploring artificial intelligence and human rights.” 

link: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/01/353345/moroccan-justice-minister-faces-backlash-for-dismissing-nepotism-allegations