BREAKING: Chief Justice Elkahanaf fired, replaced by former Somaliland AG, Ibrahim Iidle Suleyman.

Chief Justice Aidiid Elkahanaf has been fired and replaced with immediate effect by former Somaliland Attorney General Ibrahim Iidle Suleyman.

The axe fell on the immediate former head of the judiciary following a closed door meeting at the presidential palace Wednesday. He was appointed in April 2, 2011.

The reasons behind Elkanaf’s send off are not yet clear but insiders point to wide spread corruption in the judiciary.

But sources also indicate his controversial ruling February which declared Omar Farouk as the official secretary general of the embattled National Union of Somali Journalists, NUSOJ could have led to his sacking Wednesday.

Suleyman a law graduate of International University of Africa in Khartoum has hitherto been the Attorney General of Somaliland state from 2011. Suleyman is reported to have handed over his resignation on February 28 to Somaliland president Ahmed Silanyo

He was appointed an appellate judge in 2005 in Somaliland for a period of one year. Before that he was a judge in Hargeisa between 2001 and 2002.

In his CV obtained exclusively by Goobjoog News,Suleyman says he has been instrumental in reducing the backlog of cases running for up to ten years in the breakaway region in Somaliland.

Between 2006 and 2011, Suleyman served as director of civil training in the faculty of law at Hargeisa University.

He takes over reins of power at the helm of the country’s judiciary at a transitional period as the country prepares for elections slated for August this year.