Somalia’s chief justice welcomes sacking

Somalia’s Chief Justice Aidid Abdullahi Ilkahanaf, has welcomed his dismissal by a presidential decree.

Ilka Hanaf was dismissed on Wednesday after holding the position since 2011. He thanked his colleagues for the time he spent working with them.

Speaking to reporters on Friday in Mogadishu, Ilka Hanaf said the move to dismiss him was not done in the appropriate way though he had served the nation for long time.

He said he decided to step down for the sake of the nation.

“I have served this country for not less than sixty years. I have been working since the colonial time for us to have one people and one nation. Whatsoever the reason of my sacking, I don’t want my dismissal to create political rift in the country and I accepted to leave office” said Ilka-Hanaf.

According to sources, since last year there has been an ongoing rift between the President and the chief justice.

The Presidential decree said that High Court Chief Judge was sacked for age-related reasons and health complications.

President Mohamoud replaced Ilka Hanaf with former Attorney General of the breakaway Northern region of Somaliland Ibrahim Iidle Suleyman.

Suleyman a law graduate of International University of Africa in Khartoum has hitherto been the Attorney General of Somaliland.

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.