Tunisia’s association of judges said on Sunday that President Kais Saied’s decision to dissolve the North African country’s supreme judicial council was a dangerous and unprecedented retreat from constitutional gains it had made.
The association, which is the most representative body for judges in Tunisia, in a statement that the move represented an effort to dominate the judiciary under a system in which all power is concentrated in the hands of the President, Reuters reported.
This came after Saied on Sunday dissolved a top independent judicial watchdog accusing it of bias.
The Supreme Judicial Council rejected the president's decision.
The president accused the CSM of serving political interests.
"In this council, positions and appointments are sold and made according to affiliations," said the head of state.
"You cannot imagine the money that certain judges have been able to receive, billions and billions," Saied added.
AFP reported the council as saying in a statement that "it would continue carrying out its duties."
