A section of South Sudanese lawyers on Wednesday revealed that they are preparing to petition President Salva Kiir Mayardit to fire long-serving Chief Justice Chan Reech Madut.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, Senior Advocate Kiir Chol Deng, one of the lawyers preparing the petition, accused the Chief Justice of failing to deliver Justice to the people of South Sudan, with the Judiciary in an appalling state.
“All the advocates in the country agreed to prepare a petition to the president of the republic to remove the Honourable Chief Justice,” he said. “He failed to deliver justice to the people of the republic. There are no court premises, there is no stationery, there are no means of transport for the judges, there are no chairs, so the judiciary is not functioning.”
“Amongst other grounds are the delays in trying cases, specifically murder cases, and massive corruption among the judges with impunity or without accountability, and he also refused to conduct internal auditing for 14 years,” Advocate Chol added.
The Office of the Chief Justice could not immediately be reached for comment.
Chief Justice Reech has held the position since August 2011, making him the longest-serving Chief Justice in South Sudan’s history. While the law does not specify a term limit for the Chief Justice, Chol and his colleagues believe it is time for new leadership.