The prosecution has not asked the Supreme Judicial Court to lift the immunity of Judges Club head Ahmed al-Zend, declared Hassan Yassin on Monday, denying rumors to the contrary.
Yassin, the head of the prosecutor general’s technical office, told state-run news agency MENA that rumors of Zend facing charges of illegally seizing land are false, and that the prosecution has not filed any report in the matter, nor attempted to lift Zend’s immunity in order to interrogate him.
He called on the media to verify news stories and stick to accuracy when publishing news pertaining to the prosecution’s office.
On Thursday prosecution sources had told Al-Masry Al-Youm that a complaint was filed accusing Zend of illegally acquiring 36 acres of land in Hammam and Ras al-Bar. The complaint alleged the judge had used his influence to acquire these lands, with the help of others.
Zend is one of the most prominent judicial figures taking an active stand against President Mohamed Morsy. He organized a nationwide judges strike against Morsy’s 22 November Constitutional Declaration that safeguarded the president’s decisions against judicial oversight.
The judge was the target of an attempted shooting in December in front of the Judges Club. Authorities interrogated three suspects in the incident on charges of illegal assembly and possession of firearms. They were released on bail.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
