President Tebboune Calls for a More Responsive Justice: A New Judicial Year Under the Banner of Reform and Integrity

The President’s address set the tone for a year focused on deep judicial reform, transparency, and modernization. “This meeting allows us to measure the progress made in building an independent, fair, and effective justice system,” Tebboune declared, emphasizing that the rule of law must remain the foundation of national governance. He reiterated that justice must restore citizens’ confidence, protect people and property, and create a legal environment conducive to economic revitalization.

Justice at the Heart of Economic Renewal

President Tebboune stressed the judiciary’s central role in improving the business climate, noting that the modernization of the legal framework is inseparable from Algeria’s broader economic recovery plan. “Among our priorities are the promotion of investment and the consolidation of a climate of serenity and stability,” he affirmed. The reforms, he said, aim to provide Algeria with a clear and predictable legal environment aligned with the nation’s economic ambitions.

Constitutional law expert Rachid Lourari praised the President’s vision, noting that “the Algerian justice sector has witnessed profound reforms in recent years, including major revisions to the Code of Criminal Procedure—its first since 1966.” These amendments, he explained, directly strengthen citizens’ rights, particularly the right to defense and fair treatment before the law. President Tebboune, for his part, reaffirmed his full support for judicial actors, urging the government to ensure judges’ material and professional conditions so that “they can devote themselves entirely to their mission.”

Guaranteeing the Rights of Defense and Presumption of Innocence

In his speech, Tebboune reiterated his determination to reinforce the principle of presumption of innocence and to elevate the role of defense within judicial procedures, calling these “essential guarantees of fair trial and protection against any abuse.” He summarized his vision of justice as one grounded in “listening, fairness, and positive interaction with citizens.”

Professor Lourari echoed this sentiment, stressing that magistrates must be protected from both external pressures and internal temptations, recalling the lessons of the “Issaba” era when some judges faced undue influence. “To ensure true independence, their social and professional status must be adequately protected,” he insisted.

Adapting to Economic Dynamics: Commercial Courts and Legislative Modernization

President Tebboune devoted a significant portion of his address to the need for legislative adaptation to Algeria’s accelerating economic growth. “Our country is advancing at a sustained pace, moving from small individual enterprises to larger, structured companies. This transformation requires appropriate legislation,” he stated. In this vein, he called for the multiplication of commercial courts to alleviate the burden on ordinary jurisdictions and to dispel the perception of slow justice.

Professor Moussa Boudhane, former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Algiers, welcomed the establishment of a specialized committee to revise the Code of Civil and Administrative Procedure, describing it as “a landmark legal and national event.” The committee, he noted, includes judges from the Supreme Court, the Council of State, appellate courts, and administrative tribunals, alongside representatives of national unions of lawyers and bailiffs. He also recommended integrating judicial mediators, whose expertise could further enrich and modernize the justice system.

Simplifying Access to Justice and Strengthening the Fight Against Corruption

President Tebboune reaffirmed that new laws on drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorism financing, and data protection aim primarily to “simplify access to justice, stimulate investment, and reinforce economic security in its broadest sense.” He also called for procedural innovations, including electronic payment of minor fines, to reduce administrative delays and case backlogs.

In his concluding remarks, the Head of State announced that “the Fundamental Law on the Status of Magistrates will be promulgated before the end of the year,” a measure long awaited by the judiciary. According to Lourari, this law will provide “a comprehensive legal and ethical framework for the judicial profession,” defining judges’ rights and duties, career management, disciplinary procedures, and retirement conditions.

A Justice Rooted in Teamwork and Integrity

Both experts agreed that reform must extend beyond judges to include all judicial personnel—clerks, administrative officers, and auxiliary staff—because, as Lourari aptly put it, “a magistrate never works alone; justice is always a collective effort.”

In closing, President Tebboune expressed his deep appreciation for all members of the legal profession and reaffirmed the State’s commitment to mobilizing all necessary resources “to build an independent, honest, and trustworthy justice system that faithfully reflects the image of the rule of law we are collectively striving to establish.”

Through this address, the President once again positioned justice not merely as a legal function, but as the moral and institutional backbone of the New Algeria — an instrument of fairness, accountability, and national progress.