A new law, proposed by the justice minister Ahmed Mekki, regulating Egypt's judiciary aims at guaranteeing its independence via a unified courts system, says Constituent Assembly spokesperson Wahid Abdel-Meguid Constituent Assembly spokesperson Wahid Abdel-Meguid denied Saturday circulating rumours that a new law proposed by Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki on Egypt's judiciary aimed at eliminating the High Constitutional Court (HCC), adding it aims to guarantee judicial independence. Speculation regarding the elimination of the HCC circulated after Mekki and the HCC exchanged accusations earlier in the week of political bias. Mekki made statements suggesting the HCC should have postponed the case regarding the dissolution of parliament and the court in response issued a statement condemning his criticism. Abdel-Meguid explained that Mekki's proposed law, recently submitted to the Constituent Assembly, which is tasked with drafting a new constitution, provides a complete plan for the development of Egypt's judicial system in a manner that guarantees its independence through a more unified court system. Abdel-Meguid added that Mekki has been campaigning for this law for years, since it was first proposed in 1986 at the first Egyptian Justice Conference. The proposal was also adopted by the independent judiciary movement, known for its prominent role in protesting electoral fraud under the rule of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, of which Mekki was a member. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/50745.aspx
