Head of the Lawyers Syndicate Sameh Ashour referred two lawyers to investigation on Thursday. Members Ahmed Basha and Montaser El-Zayat had criticised the financial status of the syndicate on Facebook, accusing Ashour of “drowning” it.
The lawyers will be asked to present any documents that prove their claims about the financial status, the syndicate said in a Thursday statement. They have not been referred to any disciplinary committee yet.
It all started when El-Zayat posted about a “crisis in the syndicate’s financial situation”, and claimed that the Central Auditing Organisation (CAO) is requesting to investigate the syndicate, while Basha quoted the post on his social media page.
El-Zayat was a former contender in the Lawyers Syndicate elections.
After the incident, the financial department of the syndicate refuted the allegations and demanded the interrogation of the two lawyers.
Last July, lawyers called to withdraw confidence from Ashour due to the “illegal” ways through which he was elected to office.
Veteran lawyer El-Zayat had lost the election for Ashour’s position in November, who continued onto his fourth term as head of the syndicate. However, El-Zayat, who is known for his Islamist affiliations, rejected the results, adding that he will file a lawsuit to reverse the results of the elections.
However, the referendum at the Lawyers Syndicate general assembly resulted in the renewal of confidence in Ashour and his council.
