CAIRO: Egypt s government Wednesday approved and sent to parliament a draft law on the authority of the judiciary, setting the stage for a fresh standoff with pro-reform judges who said they were not consulted. After a meeting today chaired by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, the cabinet referred the bill containing amendments to the law on the authority of the judiciary to the People s Assembly and Shura Council (upper house) for debate, the official MENA news agency reported. Throughout the preparation of the draft law … the government was eager to listen to all opinions and leanings, it quoted government spokesman Magdi Radi as telling reporters. He also claimed the new draft granted greater independence to the judiciary and strengthened its authority, but pro-reformist judges, who have campaigned hard over the past years against the law, were skeptical. We did not review the bill, Judge Mahmoud Mekki, one of the more prominent faces of the pro-reform campaign, told AFP. The truth is that the judges tried to explain their opinion, but the government did not allow them to do so, Mekki added. He also suggested the judges would continue their campaign for independence that have led to violent confrontations with security forces over the past months. Mekki was one of two judges summoned to a disciplinary board in May on charges of tarnishing the image of the judiciary after they alleged that pro-government colleagues helped rig last year s parliamentary election. He was cleared, but his colleague, Hisham El-Bastawisi was reprimanded. Egypt s judges, who are responsible for supervising the election process, have become a symbol of the drive for reform in Egypt and are waging a campaign to seek independence. A key demand was for the passing of a new law to strengthen the hand of the judiciary. In December 2004, the Judges Club, which represents over 8,000 judges across the country, agreed on a draft which they sent to the government, but as Mekki explained, the government did not respond . Mekki said: The aim of the draft law was to close loopholes in the current law that allows the government to interfere in the affairs of the judiciary. Instead, the government came up with its own draft that the ruling National Democratic Party s overwhelming majority in parliament is widely expected to pass in the coming days. Mekki said leaders of the Judges Club would meet on Thursday to discuss the government s draft bill and decide its next move. AFP
Egypt refers controversial judiciary bill to parliament
