Rights lawyer Khaled Ali said all scenarios are possible in the court hearing of the appeal against Egypt's Administrative Court ruling regarding the Saudi-Egypt border demarcation agreement. (Photo: Reuters)
A number of Egyptian rights lawyers filed on Saturday a lawsuit at the administrative court against the cabinet’s recent decision to refer the Egyptian-Saudi re-demarcation deal, which is currently being contested in court, to parliament for voting.
The lawsuit named the president, the prime minister, the parliament’s speaker, and the ministers of foreign affairs, interior and defence as defendands , lawyer Khaled Ali, one of the plaintiffs, stated on his official Facebook account.
On Thursday, Egypt’s cabinet referred the Egyptian-Saudi Red Sea border re-demarcation agreement to parliament after approving the 8 April deal.
The cabinet asserted in its statement that its approval of the deal and its referral to parliament is constitutional.
However, Khaled Ali told Ahram Online that the cabinet’s decision is neither legal nor constitutional.
"[The cabinet’s decision] is creating conflict between the judicial and legislative authorities," Ali stated.
In June, an Egyptian administrative court ruled that an 8 April border re-demarcation agreement that placed the two Egyptian Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi waters is void, adding that they should remain under Egyptian sovereignty.
However, Egypt's State Lawsuits Authority – the body representing the government in legal cases – later filed and won a lawsuit in front of a court for urgent matters to stop the administrative court’s verdict.
Egypt's High Administrative Court has set 16 January to rule on the government’s appeal against the earlier court ruling that nullified the agreement over two Red Sea islands.
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