The National Chamber of Judicial Officers of Algeria organised in Oran on 11 and 12 February 2016 the First National Forum of Judicial Officers attended by the UIHJ, represented by its President, Françoise Andrieux, Abdelaziz Fouganni, Board Member, and Mathieu Chardon, Secretary General, and the Presidents of the National Chambers of the Judicial Officers of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia.
The event took place at the Congress Palace of Oran. Its theme was: "The Independence of the Judicial Officer, Guarantor of Economic and Social Security". Many representatives of Algerian authorities were present: His excellency the Ambassador of Algeria, representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Prosecutors, Sub-Directorate of Civil Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Finance, the President of the Popular Assembly of the city of Oran (Mayor of the city of Oran), National Security, Police forces, Customs, National Fund for non-employees, and all media (press, radio, television).
During the opening ceremony, Brahim Bouchachi, President of the National Chamber of Judicial Officers of Algeria, welcomed in Algeria and in Oran all the participants including President Andrieux. He thanked the Head of State, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to have placed the event under his high patronage. He recalled that the profession was created twenty-five ago - a generation - and that it met great challenges. For President Bouchachi, the 1st National Forum of Judicial Officers gives the opportunity to assess the past and embrace the future. "We are law men. We exercise a legal profession. What can we bring in the future?" he asked then to consider the enlargement of the missions entrusted to Judicial Officers. He said that the Forum would allow to foster many ideas that would result in recommendations.
Françoise Andrieux thanked the organisers for their invitation to take part in the Forum, a sign of openness to the world insofar as the UIHJ includes 88 member countries on four continents. She recalled that the Maghreb countries are members of the UIHJ and that she wished to welcome other countries of the Arab League, "to enrich our reflections on the role of legal security in economic development through the professional that is the Judicial Officer”. President Andrieux also mentioned that the UIHJ includes a regional entity entitled "UIHJ-Maghreb", whose secretariat is chaired by Redouane Benhamou, President of the National Order of the Judicial Officers of Morocco. This entity is a place for exchanges between countries of the same regions, "exchange of best practices for better knowledge of each other." Then, Françoise Andrieux evoked the genesis and outline of the Global Code of Enforcement, presented during the 22nd International Congress of Judicial Officers in Madrid in June 2015. She gave a copy of the Global Code of Enforcement to Habib El Senouci, representing the Legal Committee of the People's National Assembly of Algeria.
Then Redouane Benhamou, stressed the importance of the independence of the Judicial Officer and his status in the exercise of his functions. He said that the Judicial Officer, while having an economic approach, is a guarantor of constitutional principles.
Driss Abderrahmane referred to the 2006 provision on the organisation of the profession of Judicial Officer. He acknowledged that for the law maker, the enforcement of court decisions is a major issue. "The Judicial Officer must have all the means to enforce court decisions independently" he said. For him, the Forum would help address the challenges to develop recommendations. "There is no strong justice without a strong Judicial Officer," concluded the speaker.
El Kheir Bouguerne, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Forum, presented the workshops. Then Mohamed Bousmaha, Judicial Officer in Algiers, General Rapporteur of the Forum, introduced the work.
The Forum took the form of four workshops.
Workshop 1 was entitled: "The Judicial Officer and the economic and social requirements of the State". It was chaired by Abdelaziz Hadri, Judicial Officer (Algeria). Its rapporteur was Madani Sellami, Judicial Officer (Algeria). The speakers were Natalie Fricero, Professor at the University of Nice (France), and member of the Scientific Council of the UIHJ, Director of the Institute of Judicial Studies (France), via Skype, Françoise Andrieux, Brahmi El Hachemi, General Prosecutor (Algeria) and Abdelmajid Deki, economic expert (Algeria).
Workshop 2 had for theme: "The profession of Judicial Officer facing the Challenges of Modernisation in an Enforcement Area with no Boundaries". It was chaired by Abdelekrim Diadi, General Prosecutor (Algeria). Its rapporteur was Mourad Rachedi, Judicial Officer (Algeria). The speakers were Fouad Aissani, Judicial Officer (Algeria), Abdelhakim Akka, Managing Director of the Modernisation of Justice (Algeria), Mathieu Chardon, and Mebarek Bokhara, an expert in information technology (Algeria).
Workshop 3 was entitled "Between the Consecrations of the Right to Enforcement and Humanization, What Future for the Profession of Judicial Officer?" It was chaired by Mohamed Cherif, Former President of the National Chamber of the Judicial Officers of Algeria and Former Member of the Board of the UIHJ. Its rapporteur was Rachid Difallah, Judicial Officer (Algeria), member of the Appeals Commission (Algeria). The speakers were Mohamed Tayeb Laazizi, General Prosecutor (Algeria), Redouane Benhamou, Alain Ngongang, President of the National Chamber of the Judicial Officers of Cameroon, Head of Missions in Africa for the UIHJ, and Laid Benhaddar, Judicial Officer (Algeria).
Workshop 4 dealt with: "The Independent Judicial Officer, Guarantor of the Independence of Justice”. It was chaired by Jafar Douadi, Judicial Officer (Algeria). Its rapporteur was Farid Maatougui, Judicial Officer (Algeria). The speakers were Issaka Moussa Dan Koma, President of the National Chamber of the Judicial Officers of Niger, Secretary of the Training Unit of African Judicial Officers (Ufohja), Jean-Michel Rouzaud, President of the National School of Procedure of France, Djamel Bouhala, Judicial Officer (Algeria), Abdelaziz Fouganni and Samir Lecheheb, General Secretary of the National Order of the Judicial Officers of Tunisia.
At the end of the works and discussions, the Committees responsible for making recommendations presented their proposals, including:
- Computer equipment of offices of Judicial Officers with a distinct computer programme for the entire profession
- Improving access to information on the debtor's assets
- Creation of a head office for each regional chamber with corresponding infrastructure (websites, library, etc.)
- Introduction of secure electronic service of documents
- Introduction of continuous training of judicial officers, including the creation of a national school of procedure
- Promotion of the profession of Judicial Officer of justice, in particular through an increase in the required legal degree
- Measures to ensure the independence of the profession of judicial officer
- Regulations on actions taken against Judicial Officers
- Provisions on the social aspect of the Judicial Officer (retirement, etc.)
- Ethics-related proposals
- Extension of powers of Judicial Officers, including the recovery of debts on behalf of the State
- Development of international relations
- Measures to promote the profession
The 1st National Forum of Algerian Judicial Officers was closed by Francoise Andrieux and Brahim Bouchachi. Françoise Andrieux congratulated the organisers for their achievement. She highlighted "the exceptionally rich discussions and exciting presentations”. The president of the UIHJ praised the excellent organisation of the four workshops and thanked the National Chamber of judicial officers of Algeria for involving the UIHJ in the works. She defined the event as historical. "The development of international relations has been registered under the recommendations and this is a great thing," she said.
Brahim Bouchachi thanked all the speakers. He expressed his gratitude by saying: "You are the source of our inspiration, our strength, and our pride". He thanked the General Prosecutors for their support, and all international participants, in particular the representatives of the UIHJ. He felt that the future and destiny of the profession of judicial officer is unique: "We are a minority, but we are powerful." And endorsing the motto of the UIHJ, he concluded by saying that "our strength is in our unity".
The UIHJ acknowledges the great work accomplished by the organisers of the Forum, including Mohamed Bousmaha and Fahima Khaldi, Judicial Officer in Oran. Once again, the National Chamber of the Judicial Officers of Algeria did demonstrate its great ability to organise top professional events. The UIHJ welcomes the creation of the National Forum of the Judicial Officers of Algeria and wishes this new institution a long life!
