Aged 78, this high magistrate died following a long illness, we learned this Friday, May 26. Abdou Assouma had been President of the Constitutional Court since 2007.
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With our correspondent in Lomé, Peter Sassou Dogbe
All day long, the government’s big 4x4s paraded at the home of Abdou Assouma, in the Djidjolé district. Faithful among the faithful of the late Gnassingbé Eyadéma, the high magistrate was considered very competent by many lawyers. In 1987, he played a central role alongside the general-president in the creation of the national human rights commission. He was also the vice-president of its installation.
Appointed Minister in charge of the Armed Forces in December 1991, he left the transition government of national unity in 1992. Abdou Assouma then became President of the Constitutional Court in 2007, appointed by Faure Gnassingbe. His mandate was renewed twice, in 2014 and 2019. He announced the presidential results in 2010, 2015 and 2020.
The Togolese remember his response to the Archbishop Emeritus, Mgr Phillipe Fanoko Kpodzro who contested the results of the February 2020 presidential election. The law is equal for all. You cannot hide behind your age and challenge authority. Even on a stretcher, the author must answer for these acts in court “.
The President of the Republic now has 30 days to appoint a new President of the Constitutional Court.
