Rabat, Morocco – March 10, 2025
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin hailed the “excellent” judicial cooperation between Paris and Rabat during a visit to Morocco, marking him as the third French political figure to travel to the North African nation in less than a month. Following Culture Minister Rachida Dati and Senate President Gérard Larcher, Darmanin arrived in Morocco to meet with his counterpart, Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi, and the King’s Attorney General, El-Hassan Daki, on Monday, March 10.
Ahead of these high-level talks, Darmanin appeared as a guest on Morocco’s semi-public television channel 2M on Sunday evening, March 9. Speaking to journalist Ihssane Benbel, the French minister praised the “renewed and strengthened partnership” between France and Morocco. “This cooperation is excellent,” he said. “The exceptional work Morocco does in intelligence and combating radicalization provides us with a wealth of information, allowing us to work together to prevent terrorist attacks. The more we communicate, the more we prevent tragedies in both our countries.”
Strengthening Efforts Against Terrorism and Drug Trafficking
Darmanin’s visit underscores France’s commitment to deepening judicial ties with Morocco, particularly in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. During his discussions with Moroccan officials, a key focus will be improving the confiscation of assets seized from drug traffickers—a judicial penalty that transfers ownership of seized property, such as houses, apartments, cars, or even cryptocurrencies, to the state.
“The Moroccan services do an excellent job of seizing assets,” Darmanin noted. “But confiscating them remains a challenge we both face. In judicial cases, we seize a lot on both sides of the Mediterranean, but we confiscate very little. We absolutely need to improve this.” His remarks highlight a shared goal of enhancing the effectiveness of asset forfeiture as a deterrent to organized crime.
Broader Civil Law Cooperation
In addition to tackling crime, Darmanin expressed his intent to bolster civil law cooperation between Paris and Rabat. He cited issues such as marriages, inheritances, and divorces as areas ripe for improvement. “We want to strengthen our collaboration in these fields to better serve our citizens,” he said during the interview.
Darmanin’s visit reflects a broader trend of warming relations between France and Morocco, with judicial and security cooperation emerging as cornerstones of this partnership. As both nations face evolving threats from terrorism and transnational crime, the talks on March 10 are expected to yield concrete steps toward a more robust bilateral framework.
