By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 12 July 2016:
The Presidency Council headed by Faiez Serraj today met with members of the Supreme Judicial Council and the acting head of the Supreme Court, Mohamed Al-Hafi, to discuss the problems of enforcing law and order in the country.
According to Presidency Council member Musa Koni, the talks focussed on ways to ways to enable courts to again operate normally as well as ensuring that those working in the judicial system are paid. They also looked at how cases launched in courts abroad against the Libyan state should be defended.
The Supreme Judicial Council is supposed to ensure the functioning of the legal system in Libya. It also appoints judges, including members of the Supreme Court. This function, however, was usurped by the former GNC regime in Tripoli, which made its own appointments to the Supreme Court to ensure that it followed its own political views.
Those appointments included that of Al-Hafi, who was made acting head of the Supreme Court in May last year and then formally appointed by Nuri Abu Sahmain last October.
The fact that the Presidency Council has decided to meet him implies recognition of him. Under the Libyan Political Agreement, however, a new head of the supreme court is supposed to be chosen by the House of Representatives and the State Council jointly.
