APA-Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) Hitherto chaired by the Head of State, the institution is now run by magistrates, who have been operating “autonomously” for nearly four months.
On Wednesday 14 February 2024, the staff and statutory members of the ‘Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature,” led by the institution’s president, Kone Mamadou, exchanged New Year’s greetings.
At the start of the ceremony, Kone Mamadou and the audience celebrated the third star of the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire, who won the CAN 2023, to the sound of Magic System’s Magic in the Air and Tam Sir’s Coup de Marteau.
Kone Mamadou then reviewed the history of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, pointing out that initially, since independence, the institution was chaired by the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
However, after Alassane Ouattara came to power in 2010, he felt that “it was not logical for the President, who is the head of the executive, to be at the same time the head of the judiciary,” reforming this judicial body.
That is why, he added, Mr. Alassane Ouattara “had it written into the Constitution (of 2016) that from now on, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary will no longer be chaired by the President of the Republic, but by a magistrate (serving or retired).”
For him, “the President of the Republic has given the High Council of the Judiciary to the magistrates, asking them to manage their house themselves.” A step towards the independence of this institution.
Kone Mamadou, a senior magistrate, was appointed President of the Supreme Judicial Council on 21 July 2023 for a five-year term. He headed the Ivorian Constitutional Council from February 2015 to July 2023.
“It is with me that the Supreme Council of the Judiciary is truly beginning to operate autonomously, with no ties to any other institution,” he insinuated, mentioning that previously, the institution’s activities took place on the premises of the Presidency of the Republic.
Recently, meetings were held on the premises of the Court of Cassation, before the Head of State decided that the Supreme Council of the Judiciary should move to the building of the former Supreme Court in Cocody, in the east of Abidjan.
He maintained that “this is an instrument that will enable the independence of judges and the justice system to function better,” because “if the justice system functions well, the whole of Côte d’Ivoire benefits, (but) if the justice system goes badly, it is not good for the country.”
“If justice goes wrong, it’s the people of Côte d’Ivoire who are in danger. In Côte d’Ivoire, we see that everyone agrees with the independence of the judiciary, provided that this independence does not apply to them,” Kone Mamadou insisted.
“We want judges to be independent, but the day we are interested in a case before the courts, we have to intervene with the judge to free the person who killed or the one who embezzled, and when we get what
we want, we are happy. This is an attack on the independence of the judiciary,” he continued.
The statutory members of the ‘Conseil Superieur de la Magistrature’ are the President of the Court of Cassation, the Council of State and the Court of Auditors, as well as other magistrates. It is chaired by Kone Mamadou.
The spokesman for the statutory members of the Supreme Judicial Council, Patrice Yao Kouakou, President of the Council of State, noted a “significant change” in the Supreme Judicial Council, which has been transformed into an “institution.”
“United by your side, we will spare no effort to play our part to the full in the victory of the law and the development of our fellow citizens. We offer you the rigour and relevance of our reflections,” Patrice Yao Kouakou said.
Youssouf Kone, the spokesman for the civilian and military staff, who is also head of the mail service, assured us that the staff are working hard to “maintain the integrity of the administrative process” to ensure a quality service for the benefit of users.
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