Egypt’s House of Representatives, headed by Hanafi al-Gebaly, approved the Attorney General’s request for permission to lift the immunity of Representative Magdy al-Welily over issuing a bad check without a balance.
Parliamentary immunity
Gebaly said in the plenary session, on Sunday, that the legislator in the Egyptian Constitution guarantees members of Parliament immunity for the opinions they express related to the performance of their work in the House or in its committees, and procedural immunity in cases other than flagrante delicto to ensure that they are no malicious or lurking against them.
He added that it is impossible for this immunity to be an obstacle to holding them disciplinary or criminally accountable if they violate public order, perform actions that would affect the prestige of the legislative authority or diminish the confidence of the people in those in charge of it.
Details of the incident
Gebaly said: “From this standpoint, a letter was received from the Public Prosecutor, dated December 10, 2023, regarding a request for permission to lift Welily’s immunity, to take investigation measures and file a criminal case against him; in the incident of issuing a check without balance.”
The House’s Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee convened to consider the issue in the presence of the aforementioned representative. It decided to give him a deadline to settle the matter, provided that he submits to the General Secretariat evidence that the settlement has been completed no later than the ninth of January.
This is the deadline for lifting his immunity.
Gebaly said that he failed to provide the evidence, therefore the parliamentary immunity of the aforementioned representative will be lifted by force of law in accordance with Article 361 of the House’s internal regulations.
The Public Prosecution may take criminal proceedings against him in the aforementioned case.
Who is MP Magdy al-Welily?
Welily is the Secretary-General of the Republican People’s Party in Alexandria, Vice-President of the Arab Union for Urban Communities Development.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Alexandria University, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Grain Industry, and Chairman of the Export and Foreign Relations Committee of the Federation of Egyptian Industries.
He is also a member of the African Cooperation Committee of the Federation of Egyptian Industries, and deputy of the Rice Committee of the Agricultural Export Council.
