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By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 10 February 2013:
The Interior Minister, Ashour Shuwail, was cleared today, Sunday, by the Supreme Court of having any . . .[restrict]compromising links with the Qaddafi regime. It rejected an appeal by the Integrity Commission against a lower court’s decision to overturn its 13 November ruling against him.
On 3 December, the Appeal Court ruled in Shuwail’s favour, clearing the way to him being confirmed as Interior Minister, which happened eight days later. However, within minutes of that court decision, the Commission submitted a counter appeal to the Supreme Court. It also tried to force its will on Congress, insisting it had no right to swear him into office until all legal proceedings against him had been exhausted. Congress ignored the Commission in the case.
Today’s decision was widely expected. Congress members had already said that they anticipated the Supreme Court would clear Shuwail who is fast becoming one of the government’s most popular ministers thanks to the growing apparent success of his efforts to integrate SSC units into the normal security structures of the police.
The Integrity Commission were more successful today with case of Annifishi Abdussalam who had been elected as one of the two Congressman for Tarhouna. Disbarred by the Commission in August, the Appeal Court has now upheld the ruling against him.
He will have to decide whether to continue with an appeal to the Supreme Court. [/restrict]
