Sisi’s directives: Egyptian women to start working at State Council, Public Prosecution on October 1

CAIRO – 2 June 2021: Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on Wednesday announced a decision approving 1 October as the beginning day for women’s work at the country’s State Council and Public Prosecution, in implementation of his decision in March.

This came during a meeting for Sisi with the Supreme Council for Judiciary, during which a number of “historical” decrees were issued, according to the Presidential spokesman, Bassam Radi.

In March, Sisi directed hiring women at the Supreme Judicial Council and the State Council.

Sisi urged Justice Minister Omar Marwan to coordinate with the heads of the Supreme Judicial Council and the State Council to ensure that women are hired in these two bodies.

The decision came amid his directives on International Women Day regarding the empowerment of women.

A number of female judges, who are already assuming posts in the Administrative Prosecutor's Office and the State Litigation Authority, have the right to ask for going to other posts in the State Council.

The decision announced during the meeting on Wednesday include:

October 1 will be considered the Egyptian Judiciary Day.

The payment of equal job grades in the four judicial entities, which are the judiciary, the State Council, the Administrative Prosecution Authority and the State Cases Authority, will be unified.

One of the four entities must be designated when admitting candidates unlike what used to happen whereas candidates could be admitted in more than one entity. That will be applied as of Class 2018 for the Public Prosecution and the State Council, and as of Class 2013 for the Administrative Prosecution Authority and the State Cases Authority.

The reasons a candidate was not admitted must be submitted to State Cases Authority in order to be able to issue rulings in appeals.

A member of the judiciary shall not be delegated to more than one judicial entity at a time and the maximum duration must be designated for such delegation. The only exception where the member can be delegated to more than one entity at a time is being delegated to the Ministry of Justice and another entity.

A Justice City will be established in the New Administrative Capital, and each judicial entity has to submit its demands with regard to the facilities required.

The presidency statement pointed out that the president has been eager on reviving the role of the State Cases Authority to ensure coordination and cooperation between judicial entities and authorities, and improve the status of the judiciary.

The statement added that such decrees shall contribute to achieving equality between men and women in assuming judicial positions in all judicial institutions, and payment equality among individuals holding the same positions in different judicial entities without a need to file lawsuits to get similar income.

The presidency says that the decrees would allow more people to join judicial institutions for as no candidates will be admitted in more than one entity. They would also ensure transparency on why non-admitted applicants were rejected. In addition, moving to the New Administrative Capital would make room for expanding reliance on technology in judiciary work.