CAIRO: A mock trial organized by the campaign to prevent gas exportation to Israel at the Lawyers' Syndicate on Saturday was called off after the janitor disappeared with the key for the meeting hall. Squabbles erupted as a result and members of the campaign and syndicate lawyers had to be pulled apart. "There were pressures on the head of the syndicate, Abdallah Helmy, one of the organizers behind the campaign, told Daily News Egypt, "there was no key. The janitor disappeared because the head of the syndicate told him to. The mock trial was intended to ascertain whether Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmy was culpable in the decision to sell Egyptian natural gas to Israel and whether Egyptian law would view the deal as lacking legality. "The point of the trial was the implementation of Egyptian law and the verdict was to be the base for other actions, Helmy said, "the people on the panel were some of the most prominent former judges in Egypt, and the defense attorney is also a legitimate lawyer. The judicial branch of the campaign is headed by former judge Yehia El Gamal who, after an hour of consultations with syndicate head Samih Ashour, decided to postpone the mock trial for another week. Helmy said, "The verdict was to be sent to the People's Assembly as well as the president. We wanted to show that if our country had an independent judiciary then this would have been the outcome. "All the police complaints we have submitted have been held up for years, it is going in its usual slow way. We wanted something quick to highlight to the public how Egyptian law would view the gas deal. We ourselves haven't made our mind up about the outcome. We are also waiting for the verdicts. Lawyers representing the Ministry of Petroleum were also present and told campaign members that Fahmy was not involved in this issue and that Egyptian lawyers faced more pressing issues than the gas deal, with the lawyer's pension fund in peril. One of the ministry's lawyers, Yehia El-Touni, accused members of the campaign of pursuing personal interests and also said that Egypt's lawyers faced more important issues than the exportation of gas to Israel. "Lawyers from the Ministry of Petroleum said the minister had nothing to do with it, we were told that lawyers have bigger problems than gas, like the non-existent lawyers' pension fund, Helmy said. "There are negotiations to hold it next week in the Lawyers' Syndicate. If not then we will do it somewhere else, Helmy said.
