The Minya Governorate district attorney who ordered a man found drunk and in possession of hashish to be lashed 80 times returned to work Tuesday, despite a pending investigation into the incident.
A judicial source said Hussein Anan was allowed to return to work, but will not receive a promotion for three years as part of a “detterant” penalty.
Anan is being investigated for ruling that Mohamed Eid Ragab to be whipped harshly after he was arrested for public drunkeness and possessing 25 grams of hashish.
State-run Al-Gomhurriya newspaper said in a report published Tuesday Ragab had been released without being whipped.
According to the paper, Anan’s deputy retracted the punishment and informed the Public Prosecutor of the sentence.
Hossam Badawi, a judiciary inspector, said Anan had unlawfully ordered police to commit a crime against a citizen. “He had the authority to detain the suspect, but he applied Sharia instead, which is only permitted in line with the law and only by a judge, not a prosecutor.”
The Constitution, drafted last year by a mainly-Islamist assembly, has several new articles and amendments that are based on Islamic law.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
