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Bar poll delayed

THE JUDICIAL committee administering the Bar Association affairs decided on Sunday to move syndicate elections, scheduled to have been held on 10 October, to 14 November. The committee said the delay will give candidates more time to launch their election campaigns.

Judge Rifaat El-Sayed said the committee decided to postpone the elections after 15 candidates presented a request to the committee calling for a delay, arguing that election campaigns should not be held during the holy month of Ramadan.

Islamist lawyers who are members of the Islamist Union Together filed a lawsuit in the Administrative Court on Tuesday contesting the committee's decision.

Members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood (MB) intending to run in the elections for the 41 seats of the syndicate council held a press conference on Wednesday to voice their objection to the poll delay, viewing the decision as instigated by Sameh Ashour who is running for the post of syndicate chairman and who, as is claimed, has widespread government backing.

El-Sayed rejected the MB's argument as groundless, saying the decision came in response to the call by lawyers.

Gamal Tageddin, MB spokesman at the syndicate, said the committee should have consulted all the candidates before making such a decision rather than depending on just a few candidates. There are more than 400 candidates running.

Ferry appeal hearing

THE SAFAGA misdemeanour court of appeals on Wednesday began the first procedural hearing of the appeal filed by the prosecutor-general contesting a first- degree court ruling which acquitted businessman Mamdouh Ismail of responsibility for the deaths of 1,034 passengers when Al-Salam 98, a ferry which Ismail owned, sank in the Red Sea two years ago.

The ruling passed on 27 July shocked the public, many of whom believe Ismail's connections with senior government officials allowed the wealthy businessman to avoid conviction. Legal experts and lawyers representing the victims' relatives criticised the court for ignoring much of the evidence presented by the Prosecutor-General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud who contested the ruling just two hours after it was issued.

While acquitting Ismail and four other defendants, the court sentenced Salah Gomaa, captain of the Saint Catherine ship, to six months imprisonment and fined him LE10,000 for not attempting to rescue the passengers.

Gas to Israel

A COURT has started hearing a petition filed by a group of lawyers asking that Egypt's natural gas exports to Israel be halted. The Administrative Court, which met Monday, adjourned the hearing until 17 October to examine documents presented.

After the hearing, the plaintiffs organised a sit-in in front of the court building, during which they shouted anti- government slogans.

Prominent lawyer Ibrahim Yosri said the petitioners wanted to stop the agreement which stipulates exporting natural gas to Israel, because it involves below market price of gas.

"Egyptians are in dire need of every penny, so why does the government squander these resources?" Yosri asked.

Egypt began pumping gas to Israel in February following the signing of an energy agreement. After coming under strong criticism from the opposition, Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmi told parliament in June that the government would review the price of gas exports to Israel.

Magazine rescinded

THE SUPREME Press Council earlier this week scrapped the licence of Al-Zohour magazine, a publication of Al-Resala Publishing House, just one day after its first issue was released.

The council informed the magazine's board of directors that the publishing house did not abide by the conditions cited for the issuance of the magazine.

"Fearing that the magazine may have certain connections with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the council's officials decided to cancel the magazine's licence," Salah Abdel-Maqsoud, board chairman of the magazine and member of the MB, said.

Abdel-Maqsoud stressed that the magazine has no connection with the MB, adding that he himself was not a subscriber to the magazine. "I was just chosen to occupy the post of board chairman."

Abdel-Maqsoud said the publishing house had not committed any violations "simply because it had not yet started practising any activity." He said he intends to sue the council for canning the licence of a legal publishing house.

Money for killing

THE US Embassy in Egypt has offered monetary compensation to the family of Mohamed Fouad Afifi, a sailor who was shot dead in March by an American ship in the Suez Canal.

In the tragic incident, a security team on a ship contracted to the US Navy fired on several motorboats after warning them not to approach, killing Afifi.

The embassy said the US ambassador met with the family last Thursday and offered an apology and LE750,000 in compensation. In return, the family agreed not to sue the US government.

The slain man's brother-in-law, Hussein Abdel-Aal, said he felt pressured into accepting the offer.

Compiled by Mona El-Nahhas