Supreme Court begins hearing Fahad’s HOP86 seat case

GOOBJOOG NEWS/MOGADISHU: Hearing is underway in the Supreme Court concerning the lawsuit filed against the Federal Election Implementation Team (FEIT) by former Somalia’s NISA boss Fahad Yasin over the decision to exclude him from the final list of the elected Lower House MPs.

Fahad Yasin’s lawyer had filed a petition in the highest court in the land seeking to overturn the decision made by the country’s electoral body to suspend the HOP086 seat which he had won fairly in Beletweyne.

On Saturday, the Office of the Attorney General wrote to the Supreme Court stating that it believed that the Federal Electoral Implementation Committee (FEC) had followed the correct procedure in suspending the HOP086 seat, a move seen to be a great blow to Fahad’s quest for the release of his seat.

The office also defended the powers and legitimacy of the Federal polls body, saying that the body had been bestowed powers to oversee the electoral process as a whole and to monitor the implementation of the electoral process according to Somalia’s September 17th election agreement in Somalia. 

The hearing of the case pitting the ex-spy chief and FEIT comes as the registration of candidates for Speakers of both houses has begun, with Fahad Yasin who is eyeing the seat of deputy speaker of the House of the People poised to lose if today’s hearing flops against him.