CAIRO: Handing over the authority to dissolve judicial districts to the appeals court chairman is incorrect, Vice Chairman of the Cassation Court Ahmed Mekky told Daily News Egypt Tuesday. Based on the principle of the independence of the judiciary, the court's general assembly is the entity in charge of managing court affairs, Mekky added. Chairman of the Appeals Court Intissar Nassim had recently dissolved judicial district number 119, which looks into cases filed against judges. Independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm quoted unidentified “informed sources” saying that this judicial district 119 had earlier repealed decisions by Minister of Justice Mamdouh Marie concerning a number of judges with regards to their employment status — whether they will continue to serve or be relieved of their duties. The district's activities were hence divided and merged with other districts. Although a court official had explained that the district was dissolved for organizational reasons to improve the work flow, others argued against the timing of the move, considering that the judicial season was coming to a close. “So why dissolve it now?” they argued. The sources added that judges will take a stance to expose the intervention of the justice minister in judicial affairs. “I don't know the justification behind dissolving judicial district 119. What I know is that delegating the court chairman [to take such a measure] is wrong,” Mekky said. “It is like when parliament grants the president the authority to take decisions that carry the power of the law,” he added. According to Mekky, the Judges Club had earlier called for cancelling this procedure and maintaining the authority of the general assembly.
