By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taroudant, April 13, 2013
The official website of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) reported that the PJD’s parliamentary group submitted a draft law to amend some articles of the penal code to allow taking legal action against parliamentarians and members of certain institutions and constitutional bodies, for the crimes and misdemeanors they commit.
The PJD's website states that the draft law came to comply with the provisions of Article 64 of the Constitution, which limits the effect of the immunity of a member of parliament or a state official to scope of his functions, when expressing an opinion or casting vote, as long as the opinion does not call into question "the pillars of the kingdom", namely the monarchy, Islam, and the "respect owed to the king.”
Abdul Latif Oamo, advisor for the Party of Progress and Socialism, said that “immunity is not a privilege personally granted by the parliamentarians themselves. It is limited to the exercise of their duty while representing the people, including their right to exercise freedom of expression."
There are two types of parliamentary immunity: objective immunity, which covers the views and actions of parliamentarians during their legislative mandate, and procedural immunity, which prevents arrest or detention of Parliamentarians even if they participated in an offense as long they are not caught in flagrante delicto.
Many people resent parliamentary immunity, as it allows members of the parliament to enjoy special rights and exempts from being accountable for their own actions.
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