CAIRO: The Court of Cassation dismissed Sunday an appeal by former opposition leader Ayman Nour, head of the New Ghad Party, in which he asked for a retrial in the case of the Ghad Party proxies he was accused of forging. Chief Justice Talaat Rifai supported the verdict of the Criminal Court that had sentenced Nour to five years of prison, shortly following presidential elections in 2005 in a case widely perceived as politically-motivated. At a press conference, Nour said that he expected the ruling, not because his position is weak, but because Judge Rifai was involved. "Justice Rifai was a member of the parties' committee that had initially rejected the establishment of the New Ghad Party," he said. He said that the ruling military council clearly requested his exclusion from attending a meeting of presidential candidates because the council “does not want him around.” Nour described SCAF as "Mubarak's shadow and the remnants of the former regime" because it is still in dispute with Mubarak's opponents. "Today we are saying to the military council ‘leave', Egypt will no longer tolerate your presence or your collusion in all that is hindering the process of reform in Egypt," he said. Those who imagine that this will exclude me, Nour said, are mistaken and do not know me or the party, pointing out that he has been challenging Mubarak's regime since 2004. Nour vowed to appeal the ruling using more evidence to support his case. The verdict would ban Nour from contesting the presidency and parliamentary elections, since by law, those convicted in “honor-related” crimes are banned from practicing politics for five years. Nour said that he will support all the party candidates in the coming elections.
