“Sudan: Company Takes Over Episcopal Church Property: Khartoum judge refuses to enforce court injunction,” from Compass Direct, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
March 24 (Compass) — The Sudanese Arab company claiming ownership of a disputed church property in Khartoum moved into the building last week, ignoring a court injunction barring any alterations or use of the property before a judicial ruling on the case.
Stunned representatives of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) discovered during a March 15 trial hearing before the Khartoum Public Court that the United Al Azra Company had arbitrarily taken possession of their church headquarters and guesthouse, first confiscated at police gunpoint 10 months ago.…
Before last week’s hearing began, ECS lawyer Aziza Ismail asked Judge Wahhabi Ibrahim what action had been taken to enforce the court injunction, in response to last month’s court-ordered engineer’s report. The report had confirmed that “extensive repairs” amounting to “a complete renovation” were being made on the property in blatant violation of the court injunction ordered last June.
“What is the problem? Why is the church complaining?” the judge reportedly asked.
“Your honor,” the lawyer replied, “you are letting them trample on the court order. It has been ordered that nothing should be done on this building until you have made your ruling on the case.”
Shrugging off the complaint, the judge commented, “Yes, that is the order of the court. But it is up to me to decide what to do with the fact that the law has been broken.”
Judge Ibrahim brushed aside the church’s request to post a guard at the property, declaring that they should not be worried, “Because in the end, you will get the building back in better shape than it was before!”