CAIRO: Egyptian judges are divided on whether to apply the Law of Treachery when trying members of Egypt's formerly ruling regime. They agree, however, that if the law is applied the Court of Treachery must not consist of military officers. If the court includes military officers it will turn into a military court, they said. Hisham Geneina, deputy of the Court of Cassation, said there must be a law to punish those who corrupted political life in Egypt under the former regime. There are not any laws in Egypt's penal code that condemn this crime. Geneina said all legal trials and procedures in the Court of Treachery must be fair and honest. "If the crime of corrupting political life is proven, it will be transferred to the competent court as happens in criminal courts," said Geneina. Geneina added that punishments for corrupting political life under the Law of Treachers are not restrictive of freedoms. Punishments including firing those found guilty from their jobs and dismissing them from political life for a maximum of five years. He also said that the Court of Treachery must avoid officers of the armed forces. "Applying the Law of Treachery is not backwards rose. It is a correction for former regime's mistakes," said Geneina. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Khodery, former deputy of the Court of Cassation, said there is no need to activate the Law of Treachery. He added, however, that members of the former regime must be fired from political posts, punished for political corruption and prevented from political work. Hassan Hagar, head of the Zagazig Judges Club, also opposes applying the Law of Treachery. He said the Court of Treachery is essentially a military court and civilians must be tried before civil courts. Hagar said if the law is applied, the court must not include military judges. Mamdouh Ishmael, Cassation lawyer, said he supports applying the Law of Treachery if the court does not include military officers. The Law of Treachery is law No. 344/1952. It was applied after the 1952 Revolution and consists of nine articles. The law sets the punishments for being found guilty at being fired from governmental jobs, removing parliamentary membership, prevention from voting in parliamentary elections for five years, prevention from holding public posts for five years, and revocation of Egyptian nationality. The Egyptian cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, has agreed to apply the Law of Treachery. After social discussion and the response of the Ministry of Justice, the law will be presented to Egypt's ruling military council so procedures to implement the law can begin.
