Panafrican News Agency

Sudan gets first woman Chief Justice

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) – Ms. Nimat Abdulla Mohamed Al-Khair, a veteran judge, has been appointed Sudan's Chief Justice, the first ever female to assume the post in Sudan and in the Middle East and quite possibly one of  the first ten in Africa.

The Transitional Sovereign Council (TSC) on Thursday issued a decree appointing Ms. Nimat Chief justice and Taj Al Sir Ali AL- Hibir, Attorney General.

Mohamed Al-Faki Suleiman, the Sovereign Council - Collective Presidency - spokesman, said the decision to appoint the Chief Justice and Attorney General was based on the power enshrined on the council by Constitutional Document.

The Constitutional document legal documents specifies the power and mandates of each of the executive and the supremacy bodies, was reached after hectic talks between the military and the revolutionary with the assistance and support of the African Union and the government of Ethiopia along with IGAD.

The document vested the power to name the judiciary with the sovereign council. The appointment has taken such a long time given the power the head of the judiciary enjoys. The Chief Justice will be the person who among other things appoints committee that would investigate allegations of corruptions allegedly committed by the ousted government of Omar Bashir.

It will also be the power of the judiciary the public prosecutor to name the committee that would investigate, among other things, the June 3rd 2019, massacre in which dozens of civilians, mostly youth, were killed, and others went missing.

The appointment of the female superior judge in the country has “closed down a page” which had kept the Sudanese political arena busy for quite some time.

He said the Chief Justice and the Attorney General would embark on forming their respective councils and discharge their duties thereafter.

-0- PANA MO/VAO 10Oct2019