During his speech at the House of Representatives (HoR) session held in Benghazi yesterday, HoR Speaker Ageela Saleh launched what resembles an existential attack on Libya’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
Saleh said the “Constitutional Court” is the guardian of legitimacy and the protector of the Constitution, and the HoR’s establishment of it is not an interference in the work and independence of the judiciary nor a violation of the principle of separation of powers, as the Constitutional Department was established by a law and not a constitution, and we abolished it by law as well.
Whatever the bidders say, the Constitutional Chamber was not established by a constitution but by a law, and this jurisdiction was withdrawn from it for a long time, then it was returned to it in 1994, and then we withdrew this jurisdiction from it by establishing the Constitutional Court.
The “former Supreme Court” no longer has any jurisdiction over laws, as its judges are part-time, independent, specialized, or qualified.
The Constitutional Department is the reason for the country’s division with its disastrous and unjustified ruling by that the election of the House of Representatives was unconstitutional.
The ruling of the Constitutional Chamber shall not be taken into account in the laws establishing the Constitutional Court and publishing in the Official Gazette, nor in economic crimes, nor even in any other law.
The “former Supreme Court” has become devoted to challenging any law issued by HoR members, and it is better for it to avoid clashing with us and to be preoccupied with the accumulated issues it has.
We have recently learned that there is a challenge to the Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the formation of the Supreme Judicial Council, and this is a false appeal that will justify the division the judiciary .
36 former Supreme Council advisors must be suspended from work, and the House of Representatives must address this matter, because their appointment is null and void issued by the National Congress after the end of its term.
I call for the dismissal of the former head of the Supreme Court, Abdullah Buzriba because he has become a non-neutral opponent, and the deputies should replace him with another, and establish an independent court for the administrative judiciary.’’
