The People's Assembly has unexpectedly decided to send the bill on raising judicial fees back to the Legislation Affairs Committee so that it may be re-discussed. Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour said such a decision had been taken as some National Democratic Party (NDP) MPs had asked so and Justice Minister Mamdouh Marie had agreed. Among such MPs were Amr Horeidi, Ali Atwa, Mohamed Amer Hilmi, Amr Abou Heif and Ibrahim el-Gawhary. He added the People's Assembly had taken this decision out of conviction and not due to fear. He added that the People's Assembly only feared God and that its opinions always represented the people. He criticized the conduct of "few lawyers", as he described them. He said the lawyers' mission was to defend people's rights by talking calmly and not by shouting and wailing. He said he had received some telegrams from lawyers saying they rejected the conduct of few of their colleagues. Independent MP Alaa Abdel Moniem, though, said opposition and independent MPs had been the first to demand that the bill be sent back to the Legislation Affairs Committee. "I didn't hear about this" said Sorour. "Well, ask the Committee chairwoman, Dr. Amal Osman" the MP replied. Sorour added that their request could not be met when they submitted it because the bill had to be discussed at the Assembly before it could be sent back. Hussein Ibrahim, an MP of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) block, said: "I cannot but thank the government and the majority." "It's not a fault for the People's Assembly to have backed down due to popular pressures" he added. Dr. Abdel Ahad Gamal Eddin, the representative of the majority, criticized Abdel Moniem saying: "I expected you to thank NDP MPs". Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour decided to put an end to the discussion after NDP MP Mohamed Amer scolded him for delaying taking this decision although all lawyer MPs had rejected this bill. "You're talking to the People's Assembly Speaker and not to any common person, so please behave" Sorour angrily replied to him.
