Egypt's head of the Judges' club Abdallah Fathy (Photo:Al-Ahram)
The Egyptian Judges' Club issued a statement on Tuesday slamming the media for reporting "exaggerated salaries and special privileges" following the Supreme Judicial Council decision to approve a yearly bonus of LE10,000.
Head of the Judges' Club Abdalla Fathy has neither confirmed nor denied those reports. However he stressed to Ahram Online that the judiciary has an independent budget that is separate from the state's fiscal budget.
The Judges Club' is an unofficial but powerful body that represents over 90 percent of Egypt's judges.
"It is inappropriate for the media to cover issues like whether or not the council has approved bonuses or not," said Fathy.
Egyptian media reported that the Supreme Judicial Council, headed by Ahmed Abdel Latif, approved annuel bonuses for heads of courts and their deputies worth LE5,000 and another for the upcoming Eid Al-Adha festival also worth LE5,000. The council reportedly approved a bonus of LE8,000 for lower ranking judiciary members.
The Judges' Club statement called on media outlets to abide by "accuracy and objectivity".
It also expressed the club's frustration with previous news when "exaggerated salaries and special rights" for judges were published. The statement called such reports groundless.
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