Puntland Supreme Court Hears Sacked MPs’ Case

[Deeq A.]

Garowe (PP News Desk) — Puntland Supreme Court yesterday conducted a hearing on eight Puntland MPs who had lost parliamentary immunity. Puntland Attorney General accuses the MPs of destruction of property and constitutional violation.

Lawyers defending the sacked MPs countered the accusation with the argument that it is illegal to turn a criminal case into an administrative one. MPs denied that they had sent a letter to the Supreme Court to ask for a hearing.

Puntland MPs who lost immunity question the neutrality of the Acting Justice of Puntland Supreme Court Mr Nur Isse Mohamed “who is related to Abdiaziz Abdulahi Osman, the First Deputy Speaker of Puntland Parliament”.

Puntland Supreme Court conducted a controversial hearing on sacked MPs’ case

“Both the Attorney General and the Acting Justice of the Supreme Court were involved in the parliamentary motion against MPs. They are partial and should not be involved in the case” Abdiasis Saeed Mohamud, one of the eight MPs, told the local media in Garowe.

Puntland Supreme Court will rule on the case despite lawyers questioning the legality of the hearing.

Abdiqani A. Surato: We did not write to the Puntland Supreme Court to ask for a hearing on our case.

“The credibility of Puntland Supreme Court is at stake if it does not clarify how the case ended up at the Supreme Court. MPs allege Puntland Parliament expedited the hearing to make the case into an administrative one” says a lawyer in Garowe.

Any ruling from the Supreme Court will further complicate the case.

“The Supreme Court of Puntland is at a crossroads. Being viewed as lacking independence is likely to deal a blow to the Court because there are no provisions granting the Supreme Court powers to subject a case to a judicial review without both parties agreeing to the process” Abdul Hassan, a constitutional lawyer in Nairobi, told Puntland Post.

© Puntland Post, 2020

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