Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has been permanently barred from appearing before the Supreme Court for his continued attacks on judges and the Judiciary.
A full seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court said in a statement that it was untenable for the lawyer to seek justice in the very institution and before the very judges whose reputation and integrity he never tires of attacking.
"Much as this decision is bound to affect those who may have instructed you to represent them before the Court, it is untenable that you would seek justice in the very institution and before the very judges whose reputation and integrity you never tire of assaulting," the Supreme Court judges said.
Mr Abdullahi is a former commissioner of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and has been vocal in condemning unnamed corrupt judges.
In 2018, a bench presided over by former Chief Justice David Maraga warned the senior counsel that sustained and unfounded attacks on the Court would not go unpunished.
"In view of the foregoing, it is the decision of this Court that henceforth and from the date of this communication, you shall have no audience before the Court, either by yourself, an employee of your law firm or any other person holding brief for you or acting pursuant to your instructions," said Ms Letizia Wachira, the deputy registrar of the Supreme Court.
Joining President William Ruto’s calls for a big broom to sweep the rot in the corridors of justice, Mr Abdullahi said corruption has hit unprecedented levels in the country’s history.
“One of the things I advised the President before he came to power was the rot at the judiciary because the status quo of the judiciary as of 2022 was not tenable going forward. I told him how endemic corruption is,” Mr Abdullahi said in an interview with Nation.Africa.
“There is a complete breakdown and anarchy in the judiciary. In my view, this cannot continue anymore. I have been talking about this corruption for a long time,” he said.
Some judges, Mr Adullahi noted, operate with impunity, accusing the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of protecting corrupt judges.
“I have never seen the level of corruption in the judiciary as it is now. Even during Moi’s time, it was not at this level,” he claimed.
