The State Council has deservingly come under the spotlight after its former President Sayyed Novel was replaced – with much controversy – by Nabil Meyram. We then started to hear about investigations being carried out with some judges of the Council, while some of them were expelled because they had broken laws and regulations and had worked for other bodies. After that, several bombshells were dropped in the shape of rulings against the government, contrary to what had happened in previous years. Indeed, some people used to believe that the Council was under control and that it issued political rulings. Recently, the Council has handed down rulings banning gas exports to Israel and relief convoys to Gaza and maintaining security guards at universities. One more time, we are hearing about judges working for Egypt's president, and this raises suspicions about their rulings and tarnishes the Council's reputation. As we do not want its reputation to be tarnished, let us hope that the State Council and the Presidency will soon dismiss such rumors. What has been said so far is directly related to what has been printed by Al-Shorouq Al-Gadid yesterday. According to this newspaper, the State Council's Council (its highest authority) banned Judges Ahmed Abdel Latif and Sayyed Zaki, deputy chairmen of the State Council itself, from their job after they were accused of receiving bribes from businessman Farid el-Khamis. The latter is in turn said to have paid them so that they could hand down rulings in his favor against Egypt's president and tourism, education and finance ministers. Mr. Abdel Latif, according to State Council member Adel Farghali, passed five rulings in favor of Khamis. These judgments forced President Mubarak to allow the establishment of the British University (and the president did implement the ruling by issuing a decree), while the finance minister was forced to pay LE 18 million in fees back to the Oriental Weavers Company. Strangely, though, the cases have been brought to a halt and the accused have been acquitted although the accused counselor was caught red-handed while he was being bribed in a public street. Counselor Abdel Latif's crime has been proven and his resignation has been accepted. Yet, why hasn't he been tried? Can the State Council stop the investigations after expelling the accused? In fact, it must wait for the investigations to end, especially as the Public Prosecutor has issued a gag order in this regard. A judicial source at the State Council told the newspaper: "Regardless of the final ending of the case, it's no longer possible to welcome back two judges surrounded by suspicions." These are the same suspicions surrounding some – respectable – judges not only at the State Council, but also amid the ordinary judiciary. Indeed, they work as advisors for different governmental bodies so that, as they claim, they can benefit from their experience. Based on that, I wonder why these judges do not submit their resignations and devote themselves to their jobs for these governmental bodies in order to hold off suspicions. Talking about judges' corruption, especially if it is in favor of the government or some businessmen, frustrates normal people and makes them feel there is no honesty. Indeed, judges are seen as the last fortress capable of defending this country, especially now that some of its very defenders have betrayed it and turned into its plunderers.
