A court rules that the 15-year-old sequestration imposed on the Engineers' Syndicate should be lifted, Mona El-Nahhas reports Thousands of engineers breathed a collective sigh of relief last week after the Cairo Northern Court ruled that the judicial sequestration imposed on their syndicate since 1995 should be lifted, saying that the reasons which necessitated sequestration no longer exist. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed five months ago by the anti-sequestration group of engineers, in which they called for ending sequestration. In the lawsuit, the claimants relied on a previous ruling by the Cassation Court which stipulated that professional syndicates should not be placed under judicial sequestration because they are independent entities. Immediately after the ruling, members of the anti-sequestration group began drawing up the measures necessary for implementing what was called the "historic ruling". The anti-sequestration group of engineers was formed in 2004 to press for an end to sequestration. Sit-ins were staged, street demonstrations organised, conferences held and lawsuits filed, suing state officials responsible for prolonging sequestration. Tareq El-Nabarawi, from the anti- sequestration group, urged the state to give the green light "liberating" the Engineers' Syndicate. "This should be done first by implementing the ruling and secondly by calling for electing a new syndicate council," El-Nabarawi said. "It's the engineers' democratic right to decide who should represent them," El-Nabarawi added, noting that the presence of the sequestration committee was now invalid. While expressing satisfaction with the ruling, group member Rifaat Bayoumi said the battle was not over, adding that he and his colleagues "will press with all our might" to carry out the ruling. As a first degree ruling, engineers realise that it may be contested before an appeals court. "If such step is not taken within 40 days, the ruling will be considered final," said Omar Abdallah, a group member. However, Abdallah said he was sure that the custodians will appeal to all concerned to hinder the implementation of the ruling. "Judicial custodians running the syndicate since it was placed under sequestration and who benefit from administering the financial affairs of the syndicate seek to maintain their influence. They will fight to remain in their posts, wasting the syndicate's money without being questioned," Abdallah said. On Tuesday, group members headed towards the office of Prosecutor- General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud filing a complaint against the custodians, accusing them of committing flagrant financial infringements. According to Abdallah, a recent report issued by the Central Auditing Agency showed that LE61 million were misused in 2008. In addition to suing the custodians, the anti-sequestration group of engineers threatened, during a press conference held late last week, to refer the syndicate issue to the UN Human Rights Council if the government refrains from carrying out the ruling and restoring the syndicate's "lost legitimacy". A sit-in is due to be staged in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources calling for an emergency general assembly that would take measures for staging polls. Former and current irrigation ministers, authorised by the constitution to supervise the Engineers' Syndicate, have repeatedly promised to end the crisis. Following the ruling, Essam Sharaf, head of the technical committee recently formed by Irrigation Minister Mohamed Nasreddin to coordinate with custodians on how elections should be staged, said it was not easy to define how much time was needed to carry out the ruling. The Engineers' Syndicate was placed under sequestration after being charged with committing flagrant violations by its Islamist-controlled elected council. Although sequestration was meant as a temporary measure until a new council is elected, it has lasted for 15 years. The fear that the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood (MB) would once again control the syndicate council if sequestration was lifted and fresh elections staged appears the reason behind the reluctance by the government to end the dispute. Pledges that the MB would no longer seek to control the future council have failed to allay government fears. "We do not intend to seize the majority of council seats," Abdallah, who is an MB member, announced during last week's conference, in what was viewed as a message to the regime.
