Power play

Judges meet tomorrow to discuss what action to take in the face of Ministry of Justice attempts to bankrupt their clubs, reports Mona El-Nahhas

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Judges meet tomorrow at the headquarters of the Cairo Judges Club to debate the strategy they should adopt to advance their struggle for greater judicial independence in the face of opposition from the Minister of Justice Mamdouh Marei. Boycotting the minister, whom many judges believe was appointed to put a cap on reform, is said to be among the options they will discuss.

Since March 2005, judges' clubs have been leading the battle for judicial independence. Marei is now rumoured to be attempting to have such clubs closed.

His relationship with the judges' clubs has not been happy. During the course of last year's presidential elections, as head of the Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) charged with framing the rules of the electoral process, Marei was involved in almost daily spats with reformist judges who claimed the regulations would fail to guarantee a free and fair poll. In response, Marei, who consistently refused to meet his critics, attempted to exclude reformist judges from any supervisory role.

Now, say judges, the minister is seeking to settle old scores. He has continued to refuse to meet representatives from judges' clubs, and recently began a series of moves which judges fear is intended to cut off funding to clubs.

He has suspended the annual grant the ministry pays to judges' clubs and which is their major source of funding, leading to concern that the clubs will no longer be able to provide basic services to members. The Electricity Holding Company has threatened to cut off power to the Cairo and Alexandria judges' clubs if they do not settle overdue electricity bills that exceed LE60,000.

The financial crisis will top the agenda of tomorrow's assembly meeting. Judges will discuss an increase in their membership subscriptions as well as proposals that they should accept donations from the Ministry of Social Affairs, a move they have long resisted for fear it will compromise the independence of the clubs.

"We do not want to make decisions before members of the general assembly have had the opportunity to review all the issues involved," Judge Hesham Geneina, secretary-general of the Cairo Judges Club, told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Alongside financial pressures, Marei has made it clear that he wants to see parallel organisations to the judges' clubs being established, offering the same services to members.

In October Marei ordered the government-appointed heads of first degree courts to initiate health and social service provision for their staff.

More recently news of a draft law, planned by the Justice Ministry and which seeks to place judges' clubs under direct ministry control, was leaked.

Despite such tactics, a majority of judges remain convinced that attempts to undermine judges' clubs will fail.

"The clubs will weather the crisis as they continue to play their role as the only legitimate advocates of the interests of their members," says Geneina.

Tomorrow's assembly is also expected to define the club's stance towards the delegation from the World Federation of Judges due to visit Cairo later this month on a fact finding mission. The assembly will also see the unveiling of the judges' own recommendations for the constitutional amendments that form the core of the government's current legislative programme.

The assembly is also expected to discuss a report, compiled by members, identifying cases of electoral fraud that marred last year's presidential and parliamentary polls.

The hardline tactics adopted by Marei appear to be backfiring, as judges who had shied away from confrontation with the state become increasingly involved in the ongoing conflict.

Earlier in the week board members of the State Council's Judges Club met to discuss measures to protest the minister's suspension of their financial subsidy. A sit-in, a peaceful march to the presidential headquarters and a lawsuit against the minister were all discussed.