Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky is drafting a law that would transfer some judicial authority from the executive branch to a judicial body, in an apparent effort toward granting the judiciary more independence, judicial sources said Monday.
The law would transfer the Justice Ministry’s authority over the Judicial Inspection Department to the Supreme Judicial Council. The sources, who asked not to be named, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Mekky would present the draft law to the Cabinet in preparation for submitting it to the president for approval.
Mekky hopes to take measures to strengthen the judiciary’s independence, sources said, and to enable judges to work without pressure. He also hopes to end the judiciary’s dependence on executive authorities such as the Justice Ministry.
The Judicial Inspection Department monitors judges, and supervises the processes for transferring them and appointing them to various posts within courts.
Under the Hosni Mubarak regime, the Justice Ministry’s monitoring process was marked by nepotism and favoritism. Many voiced calls for the independence of the judiciary.
The Supreme Judicial Council is headed by the Court of Cassation and deals with judiciary affairs. It is made up of elected members of the Court of Cassation and the Court of Appeals, and does not include members of the executive branch.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
