Rabat – Moroccan courts have issued 1,001 rulings involving alternative sentences since the new law on alternative penalties came into force on August 8.
Speaking today in Rabat, Mohamed Abdennabaoui, First President of the Court of Cassation and Delegate President of the High Council of the Judicial Power, said these rulings concerned 1,077 people up to the end of 2025.
He made the statement during the official opening of the 2026 judicial year, held under the slogan “Justice in the Service of the Citizen.”
He explained that the sentences included daily fines, community service, restrictions on certain rights, and monitoring or rehabilitation measures. Daily fines represented the largest share, followed by community service and other supervisory or therapeutic measures. Electronic monitoring was used in a very limited number of cases.
Abdennabaoui also addressed the issue of compliance, noting that some violations were recorded during the execution of these alternative penalties. A number of convicted persons failed to respect the conditions, while others committed new offenses during the period of their sentence.
He said these figures are preliminary and will be studied further to improve criminal policy and make better use of alternative penalties, which are seen as having security, social, and economic benefits.
During the same session, Abdennabaoui noted the heavy workload of Moroccan courts in 2025. More than four million new cases were registered, in addition to hundreds of thousands of pending files from the previous year. Courts were able to rule on the majority of cases.
The introduction of alternative penalties has sparked mixed reactions among the public. While some welcomed the reform as a more humane and modern approach to justice, many citizens expressed strong criticism.
Opponents argued that the system could be unfair and may mainly benefit people with financial means, especially those able to pay daily fines, while poorer defendants may not enjoy the same advantages.
