Kiir sacks Chief Justice Chan Reec Madut after nearly 14 years in office

JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Wednesday night dismissed Chief Justice Chan Reec Madut after nearly 14 years at the helm of the judiciary, according to the state-owned broadcaster.

Madut, appointed shortly after the country’s independence in 2011, was removed along with his deputy, John Gatwech Lul in a decree readout on the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).

In separate decrees, Kiir appointed Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Bak Deng as the new Chief Justice and Laku Nyombe as Deputy Chief Justice.

Madut’s dismissal ends a long and controversial tenure marked by allegations of nepotism and perceived partisanship toward the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), led by Kiir.

He was initially appointed in August 2011, one month after South Sudan’s independence, having served as deputy chairperson of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC).

His early role was seen as instrumental in shaping the judiciary of the new nation.

However, in 2013, Madut faced public backlash after appointing 78 legal assistants, including his daughter, Achol Chan Reec Madut, in a move widely criticized as violating recruitment procedures. At the time, he denied any wrongdoing.

“There is nothing wrong in the appointment. It is constitutional,” he said. “Any citizen of South Sudan can be appointed regardless of whether they have family in the government or not.”

Critics pointed to gaps in the 2008 Judiciary Act, which gave the Chief Justice wide discretionary powers but lacked clear criteria for appointments.

In later years, Madut was frequently criticized for his open support of President Kiir and the SPLM. In July 2023, he was seen attending a political rally in Wau endorsing Kiir’s candidacy for elections originally scheduled for December 2024, now postponed to 2026.

In 2014, Madut attended an SPLM rally organized to welcome President Salva Kiir as a “hero” for refusing to reach a peace agreement with opposition leader Riek Machar in Addis Ababa.

His participation drew criticism from legal observers who viewed it as compromising the independence of the judiciary.

In a separate incident in October 2015, following Kiir’s controversial decision to expand South Sudan’s states from 10 to 28, Madut issued a public congratulatory statement praising “the Chairman of the SPLM” for the move.

The statement sparked further backlash from civil society and opposition groups who viewed the state expansion as unconstitutional and politically motivated.

In a separate incident in 2020, Madut was reportedly involved in a physical altercation with police at Juba International Airport after officers asked his four children arriving from the UK to undergo COVID-19 testing.

The new Chief Justice, Benjamin Bak Deng, hails from the Apuk community of Gogrial County in Warrap State, President Kiir’s home region. He is widely respected in legal circles and previously served as Director of Training within the Judiciary. He is also a sitting Supreme Court justice and had served in Sudan’s supreme court.

Bak has been involved in various judicial capacity-building programs, including workshops on election preparedness, fair trial rights, and judicial ethics. His appointment is seen as a potential step toward reforming a judiciary long viewed as politicized and under-resourced.

There was no immediate statement from Madut or the Office of the President regarding the reason for his dismissal.