The Supreme Judicial Council, in Iraq, agreed to refer the president of the Federal Supreme Court, Judge Jassim Abboud Al -Omairi, to retirement for health reasons, after submitting an official request during the past days.
A statement issued by the judiciary stated that “the committee stipulated in Article (3/ First and Second) of the Law of the Federal Supreme Court met today, and decided to refer Judge Jassim Muhammad Abboud to retirement, and the nomination of Judge Munther Ibrahim, Vice -President of the Federal Court of Cassation, to succeed him for the presidency of the court,” noting that “the President of the Republic was kept to issue the Republican decree on appointment.”
Judge Munther Ibrahim Hussein is one of the most prominent judges in the judiciary; He was born in Baghdad in 1963, and holds a certificate in the law from the University of Baghdad, as well as graduated from the Judicial Institute in 1998.
He is currently the vice president of the Federal Court of Cassation, and the head of the criminal body in it, in addition to being a reserve member of the Federal Supreme Court.
Abboud’s referral came to retirement weeks after the exacerbation of the crisis within the Federal Supreme Court, which witnessed an unprecedented mass resignation that included 6 of its main members and 3 reserve members, against the background of what deputies in the Iraqi parliament described as “increasing political pressure.”
These resignations caused the court to lose its legal quorum, which led to the disruption of its sessions, including a decisive session that was dedicated to deciding on a financial dispute between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
These developments come at a sensitive time, with the approaching legislative elections scheduled for next November 11, as Article (93/seventh) of the Iraqi constitution states that the Federal Supreme Court is the authority authorized to ratify the final results of the elections.
The continued disruption of the court threatens a constitutional vacuum that may lead to the postponement of the elections, unless its formation is completed and the restoration of its legal quorum in the coming months.
