Prosecutor General Tala’at Abdallah delivered his resignation to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Monday night. The council will make its decision on Sunday, after the second stage of the constitutional referendum.
Abdallah went into his office on Tuesday accompanied by security.
His resignation came under pressure from hundreds of prosecutors who protested outside his office on Monday. He asked to be removed from his post and to return to his judicial duties.
Prosecutors demanded the removal of Abdallah saying that his appointment was “illegal.” Abdallah was appointed in accordance with President Mohamed Morsy’s 22 November constitutional declaration.
Freedom and Justice Party media spokesperson, Ahmed Sobei, refused to comment on the resignation saying it was a judicial matter.
Sobei compared Abdallah with his predecessor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud.
“This was the difference between a respectable prosecutor general appointed by the elected president and [former President Hosni] Mubarak’s prosecutor general who refused to listen to the people,” he said.
The Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement on Tuesday asking the SJC to reject the resignation. The statement also condemned the prosecutors’ protest describing it as a form of “thuggary” and a threat to Abdallah.
“We call on the SJC to investigate the issue and punish those who pressured Abdallah,” the statement read.
It also condemned statements by the media and members of the Judges’ Club who welcomed the resignation; saying that with these statements they labelled themselves as “enemies of the revolution and the people.”
General Secertary of Al-Dostour Party said the resignation was a normal result to “violating the judicial authority,” referring to the constitutional declaration which appointed Abdallah.
ElBaradei tweeted on Monday, expressing appreciation and gratitude to the prosecutors who defended legitimacy and independence of the judiciary.
Head of Arabic Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession, Nasser Amin, said Abdallah’s resignation was not “innocent.”
“This is a bargain. He wants prosecutors to supervise the second stage of the referendum in exchange for his resignation,” Amin said.
He added that the legitimacy of the referendum is being questioned after State Council Judges’ Club announced they will not oversee the second stage.
“Most prosecutors are young and probably they realise that he is only pushing them to participate,” Amin said Heba Yassin, media spokesperson of the Popular Current agreed with Amin: “We will wait until the resignation is final and accepted.”
