The new head of Egypt's Court of Cassation, the country’s highest appeals court, has been sworn in less than a month after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified a law regulating the appointment of top judges in accordance with recently passed constitutional amendments.

 

On Saturday, Abdullah Amin Mahmoud Assr was sworn in before the president as the new chief of the Court of Cassation, while Essam El-Din El-Menshawy was sworn in as the new head of the Administrative Prosecution Authority.

 

According to a statement by the presidency, El-Sisi, in a meeting with the two officials, stressed the importance of continuing to work to empower citizens, ensure their freedoms and familiarise them with their duties in accordance with the constitution and law.

 

The Egyptian president granted merits of the state to former head of the Cassation Court Magy Abo El-Eila and former head of the Administrative Prosecution Authority Amany El-Rafei.

 

The appointments come less than a month after El-Sisi ratified laws regulating the appointments of the heads of top judicial bodies, which were recently passed by parliament to go in accordance with new constitutional amendments passed in April.

 

The new laws include legislation regulating the appointments of judges heading the Administrative Prosecution Authority, the State Lawsuits Authority, the Court of Cassation, the Military Judiciary Authority, and the State Council.

 

Under the newly amended laws, the president has the authority to pick the chief of each of the abovementioned judicial bodies from the seven longest-serving deputy heads for a one-time term of four years, which ends if the age of retirement is reached.