President Mubarak was reported to Al Masry Al Youm to have issued instructions to Chancellor Mamdouh Marei, Minister of Justice, to withdraw his draft, demanding the amendment of the judiciary law. Marei's law provides for increasing the number of Supreme Judiciary Council's members to 11 members instead of 7. This is to be done through the inclusion of the two chairmen of the two Appeal Courts of al-Mansoura and al-Ismailia as well as the two Chairmen of the two Courts of First Instance of south and north Cairo. Informed sources said President Mubarak expressed his annoyance with the state of tension that appeared within the judicial circle due to Marei's draft. President Mubarak also stressed the necessity of paying respect to constitutional institutions, such as People's Assembly and State Consultative Council as well as their role in discussing new legislations. Moreover, Mubarak called for the consultation of judges' view towards the draft and responding to their recommendations, continued the sources. President Mubarak also expressed his full appreciation and respect to the judges of Egypt, added the sources. Mubarak was also said to have made contact with a number of senior advisers whose views were reliable for the President. In turn, those judges expressed their objections towards Marei's draft. Such a move by the political leadership arrives at a time that witnesses the judicial circle storming with anger and protest against Marei's draft. Indeed, this draft was submitted by Justice Minister in form of a republican decree supported by a law. This came as a great shock to the Egyptian judges; particularly as they had called upon the President to interfere and stop what they described as arbitrary practices by the Minister against them; practices that had been replicated by the Minister since his appointment. Egyptian Ministry of Justice, has issued a statement late yesterday, wherein it called the general assemblies of the courts of all levels to express their opinions and recommendations with regards to Marei's draft. The Ministry also asked these assemblies to send their views, though of different tendencies, to the Ministry's Legislation Management. This way, the Ministry could develop the idea of broadening Judiciary Council Formation Base. Broadening of that kind serves, in turn, the idea of representing all judicial levels inside the Council, especially Courts of First Instance that are not represented at all. The sources emphasized, Marei responded and decided to withdraw the draft, but his assistants indicated that he issue a statement to clarify the facts, with no explicit declaration of the draft's withdrawal. However, those assistants insisted, the statement had to express the degree to which the Ministry pays great respect to Egypt's judges. They also advised Marei, the statement should as well enhance the right of the entire judges to be represented in the Judiciary Council, which was again the typical aim of the above-mentioned draft.
