Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab officially delegated Sunday Minister of Transitional Justice Ibrahim El-Heneidy to take charge of the Ministry of Justice until a new justice minister is appointed, the cabinet spokesman told Ahram Online.
Spokesman Hossam Gaweesh said there is no date yet set for the appointment of a new minister.
Former Justice Minister Mahfouz Saber handed-in his resignation last week after making comments that were widely seen as classist.
Saber, in a live interview on TV Channel 10, said that sons of garbage collectors should not be judges. "A judge should come from a social class suited to the job, with all due respect to garbage collectors,” he said.
"A judge should come from a social class that is neither too high nor too low," he added.
Following the resignation of Saber, Mahlab issued a statement saying, “The cabinet respects all layers of society and appreciates the working hands in particular, and is convinced that they are involved in shaping of the future of this nation.”
Egypt’s transitional justice ministry is a relatively new ministry, established following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and the dissolution of his government. One of its tasks includes “safe harbouring through the transitional period” by executing the political "roadmap."
The "roadmap" was applied following Morsi’s ouster and cover three stages; the rewriting of the constitution followed by a constitutional referendum; presidential elections; and parliamentary elections. The ministry has helped in drafting laws and legislation covering all polls.
Minister El-Heneidy was appointed in June 2014, the second minister to take charge of the transitional justice portfolio since its establishment.
Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/130471/Egypt/Politics-/Mini...
