Egypt's former prosecutor-general will not reclaim position: Judicial source
Ahram Online, Wednesday 27 Mar 2013
Judicial source close to former prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud explains Mahmoud refuses to resume his position, but only filed a lawsuit on request of judicial colleagues to elect a replacement


Egypt’s former prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud did not file a lawsuit to appeal the decision to replace him, but only to meet the demands of his fellow judges, said a judicial source close to Mahmoud on Wednesday.

“Mahmoud told me it is time for the Supreme Judicial Council to choose freely a new, independent prosecutor-general from the ruling regime who will seek to achieve the public benefit in both the general prosecution and the judiciary," a judicial source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

Mahmoud completely refuses to resume his position and is not thinking about that at all. He is satisfied with what he has achieved until now, the source added.

He knew from the start that "it is impossible to resume his job, especially after the new constitution strongholds his isolation decision," another judicial anonymous source explained.

Earlier on Wednesday, the appeal court reversed President Mohamed Morsi's November 2012 decision to appoint a new prosecutor-general.

President Morsi dismissed the country's top prosecutor Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud and appointed Talaat Abdullah to the post via a highly controversial constitutional declaration.

In November 2012, a few months after Egypt's People's Assembly (lower house of parliament) was ruled unconstitutional and disbanded, President Morsi issued a controversial constitutional declaration widening his powers and placing his decisions above judicial review.

Among the articles of the declaration was one dismissing the country's prosecutor-general and replacing him with Talaat Abdullah.

Under the Egyptian legal system, the prosecutor-general can only be dismissed by a judicial decree, not by the president.

The dismissal of Mahmoud has been one of the major demands of pro-revolution groups since the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

Pro-revolution critics argued that his office failed to pursue those implicated in the killing of Egyptian protesters over nearly two years of political turmoil since the outbreak of the country's popular uprising.

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