Somalia Leader Replaces Supreme Court Head in Judiciary Overhaul

(Bloomberg) -- Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo appointed Bashe Yusuf Ahmed as chairman of the Supreme Court, as he overhauls the Horn of Africa nation’s judiciary.

Ahmed replaces Ibrahim Idle Suleiman, who was fired after a public outcry over several judicial decisions and allegations of corruption in the judiciary, according to a presidential decree broadcast Sunday on state radio in the capital, Mogadishu.

Farmajo asked lawmakers to expedite the nomination of a new judicial services commission, to replace one that was dissolved by former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed before presidential elections in 2017, it said.

Somalia’s government is rebuilding its institutions amid an insurgency by the al-Shabaab militant group that’s been fighting to enforce its version of Islamic law since 2006.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mohamed Sheikh Nor in Mogadishu at msheikhnor@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Eric Ombok

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