CAIRO: Minister of Justice Abdel Aziz Al-Gendy denied Sunday that he referred any three judges to the judicial inspection department for questioning, saying that they were referred to the chancellors’ complaints office to investigate a former complaint by the military prosecutor.
"The judges were referred to this complaints office following a complaint from the military general prosecutor. I needed to know what happened since I didn’t watch the television show," Al-Gendy told Daily News Egypt.
Judges Hassan Al-Naggar, head of Zagazig Judges Club, Alaa Shawky, head of Giza Criminal Court, and Ashraf Nada, head of the Beni Suef Cassation Court, were interrogated earlier this week for not having permission to give media statements.
The three judges appeared on Al-Jazeera Mubasher Masr satellite channel to talk about cleansing the judiciary and criticized the referral of civilians to military courts, which the military prosecutor considered an "offence" to the military judiciary in a memorandum presented to Al-Gendy.
The judges said that they are planning to file a lawsuit against Al-Gendy while a general assembly was held at Zagazig Judges club to discuss the issue which Al-Gendy described as "nonsense".
Al-Gendy also said that the place of Mubarak’s trial is yet to be decided by the court.
A number of Judges said that the decision to assign North Cairo Criminal Court to handle the case was unconstitutional.
"The trial can take place in the subject’s place of residence, birth or the place of the crime so it can be in North or South Cairo or in Sharm El-Sheikh, his place of residence," he said.
Al-Gendy said that the Egyptian judiciary is "very independent" and that their handling of the cases of the ousted regime figures is going on track.
Protestors in Tahrir have been calling for the cleansing of the judicial authority and swift trials for the icons of the former regime, many of whom are currently behind bars either pending investigation or awaiting trial.
"We want free and fair trials, accelerating the pace of the trials may lead to mistakes; we are currently doing fine," he said.
