The President of the Higher Judiciary Council (HJC), Judge Souheil Abboud, highlighted numerous challenges confronting the Lebanese judiciary.
During a conference organized by the Francophone Network of Judicial Councils (Réseau francophone des conseils de la magistrature judiciaire) (RFCMJ) at the French Court of Cassation in Paris, Judge Abboud denounced “attempts of interference that disrupt and weaken judicial work and lead to vacancies in many judicial posts, thus hindering the course of justice.”
According to Judge Abboud, these attempts are evident in “the Parliament’s refusal to approve the bill on the independence of the judiciary.” They can also be observed in “the executive’s refusal to sign the decrees on general and partial judicial nominations, which the HJC has approved on several occasions,” Judge Abboud pointed out during the conference.
Former President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, froze in February 2020 all judicial nominations established by the HJC.
Although he mentioned several reasons, such as “the proposed appointments not considering the objective criteria of merit, specialization and competence provided for by the Constitution, as well as the criteria of productivity, seniority and integrity established by the HJC itself.” Aoun more explicitly based his decision on the perceived unfair treatment of judges who are close to his party, the Free Patriotic Movement.
In this context, Judge Abboud highlighted that “although the Lebanese authorities and bodies agree on calling for the independence of the judiciary, this call conceals their actual desire to appropriate a customized judiciary.”
He warned against “the collapse of the judicial system,” citing a recent report by European experts describing it as “a serious situation requiring urgent action.”
Following the conference, the RFCMJ general assembly (consisting of 23 countries) elected Christophe Soulard, president of the French HJC, as well as Souheil Abboud, president of the Lebanese HJC, to be the president and vice-president of the network, respectively.
Furthermore, in his capacity as the First President of the Court of Cassation, Judge Abboud also participated in the annual meeting of the bureau of the association of higher jurisdictions of courts of cassation of francophone countries (AHJUCAF).
The meeting focused on a project proposed by Judge Abboud to create an “ideal French-speaking Supreme Court,” from which a “French-speaking High Court of Justice” would later emerge.
During a conference organized by the Francophone Network of Judicial Councils (Réseau francophone des conseils de la magistrature judiciaire) (RFCMJ) at the French Court of Cassation in Paris, Judge Abboud denounced “attempts of interference that disrupt and weaken judicial work and lead to vacancies in many judicial posts, thus hindering the course of justice.”
According to Judge Abboud, these attempts are evident in “the Parliament’s refusal to approve the bill on the independence of the judiciary.” They can also be observed in “the executive’s refusal to sign the decrees on general and partial judicial nominations, which the HJC has approved on several occasions,” Judge Abboud pointed out during the conference.
Former President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, froze in February 2020 all judicial nominations established by the HJC.
Although he mentioned several reasons, such as “the proposed appointments not considering the objective criteria of merit, specialization and competence provided for by the Constitution, as well as the criteria of productivity, seniority and integrity established by the HJC itself.” Aoun more explicitly based his decision on the perceived unfair treatment of judges who are close to his party, the Free Patriotic Movement.
In this context, Judge Abboud highlighted that “although the Lebanese authorities and bodies agree on calling for the independence of the judiciary, this call conceals their actual desire to appropriate a customized judiciary.”
He warned against “the collapse of the judicial system,” citing a recent report by European experts describing it as “a serious situation requiring urgent action.”
Following the conference, the RFCMJ general assembly (consisting of 23 countries) elected Christophe Soulard, president of the French HJC, as well as Souheil Abboud, president of the Lebanese HJC, to be the president and vice-president of the network, respectively.
Furthermore, in his capacity as the First President of the Court of Cassation, Judge Abboud also participated in the annual meeting of the bureau of the association of higher jurisdictions of courts of cassation of francophone countries (AHJUCAF).
The meeting focused on a project proposed by Judge Abboud to create an “ideal French-speaking Supreme Court,” from which a “French-speaking High Court of Justice” would later emerge.
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