The Judicial Inspection Department of the Ministry of Justice has referred judges from the pro-Muslim Brotherhood “Judges for Egypt” movement to a disciplinary board. The 12 judges from the movement could be relieved of their duties for straying into the political arena, which the judicial authority law forbids.
A judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told privately-owned ONA news wire, affiliated with ONTV satellite channel, that members of the movement had violated several of the statutes which govern the 12,000 judges making up the general assembly of the Judges Club.
Some of these violations, according to the source, pertain to the dismissal of former Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud and the general assembly’s rejection of the judicial authority bill, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood members of the Shura Council.
The source told ONA that the Judicial Inspection Department has questioned Walid Sharaby, the movement’s spokesperson, and others over the past few days regarding their alleged straying into politics. The department started investigating the issue after complaints were filed by other judges.
Ashraf Nada, president of the Minya Criminal Court, said the accused judges had committed many violations in the past and that they were on the verge of being sacked when the revolution erupted. He added that some of them were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, while others had joined the group in order to avoid losing their jobs.
Nada added that, rather than be called “Judges for Egypt,” a more appropriate name for them would be “Judges for the Brotherhood.”
Egyptian media reports also purport that Sharaby was a former state security officer.
