Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Tunisian Judges Say Dissolving Judicial Council Is a Dangerous Retreat

Tunisia's President Kais Saied is pictured at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport - Fethi Belaid, AFP

Tunisia’s association of judges said on Sunday that President Kais Saied’s decision to dissolve the North African country’s supreme judicial council was a dangerous and unprecedented retreat from constitutional gains it had made.

The association, which is the most representative body for judges in Tunisia, in a statement that the move represented an effort to dominate the judiciary under a system in which all power is concentrated in the hands of the President, Reuters reported.

This came after Saied on Sunday dissolved a top independent judicial watchdog accusing it of bias.

The Supreme Judicial Council rejected the president's decision.

The president accused the CSM of serving political interests.

"In this council, positions and appointments are sold and made according to affiliations," said the head of state.

"You cannot imagine the money that certain judges have been able to receive, billions and billions," Saied added.

AFP reported the council as saying in a statement that "it would continue carrying out its duties."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.