Tunisia-CSM: Administrative magistrates reject Saied’s approach

The honorary president of the Union of Administrative Magistrates, Walid Helali, stated he was shocked to see the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, entrust the Minister of Justice with the development of a project on the Superior Council of the magistracy.

Speaking to the  TAP, Walid Helali called on the President of the Republic to give more information on this project, particularly if it includes the preparation of a new bill on the judiciary or of the revision of the current law.

Talking on the sidelines of a meeting organized by the Union of Administrative Magistrates on the theme “Administrative justice in times of crisis”. Helali maintained that the administrative judges deny the move by the head of the state, which he characterised as “one-sided”.

For him, it forms a step backwards and represents an attack on the independence of injustice. He added that this is “direct interference” in the judiciary and a way to exclude the Supreme Judicial Council, professional structures and the association of Tunisian magistrates from anything linking to judicial matters. He emphasised the necessity to continue adopting the participatory approach, adopted since 2011, recognizing, nevertheless, that the composition of the High Judicial Council and its way of running constituted an obstruction to the consecration of the independence of judicial authority.

The plenary assembly of the three jurisdictional councils represents “a source of frequent tensions and disputes”, he added, considering that the superior council of the magistracy is “in failure on all the plans”, particularly from the point of view its composition, skills and performance.

In this regard, he evoked that the Council of the Judiciary called for the amendment of the law on the Superior Council of the Judiciary.