Lawyer files lawsuit against communications minister

CAIRO – 30 September 2017: Appellate and constitutional Lawyer Tarek Mahmoud filed a lawsuit against Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Yasser Al-Qadi and the executive president of the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA) Mustafa Abdul Wahid.

The lawsuit is in reaction to the recent decision taken to reduce the value of prepaid calling cards by 36 percent, so that consumers would receive less credit than the card’s price. As El Fagr newspaper reported, Mahmoud said that telecommunication companies in Egypt earn billions annually “achieving more revenues than armaments companies.”

The lawyer stated that the decision is flawed, and breaches the law and the constitution so it must be repealed. He also questioned the timing as it came in parallel to price hikes caused by the flotation of the Egyptian Pound in November last year, which added more pressure on average citizens who use their mobile phones on a daily basis.