CAIRO: Egypt’s public prosecutors on Wednesday ordered the education minister to stand trial over accusations he failed to follow a court ruling, a lawyer on the case told AFP.
The case dates back to 2013, more than a decade before Mohamed Abdellatif was appointed minister, and involves a school in the Upper Egyptian city of Minya that the education ministry had been renting, said Amr Abdel Salam, a lawyer representing the school’s owners.
He said Egyptian courts had ruled the building must be returned to its owners, but successive governments allegedly kept delaying execution of the order.
In December, a formal warning was sent to Abdellatif but he refused to carry it out, the lawyer said.
“This forced the school owners to take legal action against him,” he added.
If found guilty, the minister could be jailed, removed from office and ordered to pay one million Egyptian pounds ($21,000) in compensation, Abdel Salam said.
The minister’s trial is set to begin on May 13 with a first hearing.
The ministry has not yet commented on the case.
Egypt education minister faces trial over ignored court order
https://arab.news/8uuxm
Egypt education minister faces trial over ignored court order
- Egyptian courts had ruled the building must be returned to its owners
- In December, a formal warning was sent to Abdellatif but he refused to carry it out
Syrian authorities bust smuggling ring, tighten border controls
- Smugglers' boat collides with rocks as it attempted to flee pursuing as Coast Guard vessels
- The boat was about to illegally transport passengers from the Syrian coast of Tartus coast to Cyprus
DAMASCUS: Syrian Coast Guard forces have arrested members of a human smuggling network operating in the western town of Tartus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported Saturday.
Authorities pounced on the smugglers as they were about to transport passengers from the Tartus coast to Cyprus by illegal means, the state media said, citing a statement from the General Authority of Ports and Customs.
"The operation resulted in the arrest of all those involved, including the organizers of the trip," said the report, adding that the smugglers' boat attempted to escape as Coast Guard vessels surrounded it, but collided with rocks.
No details were made available on how many suspects were arrested and how many passengers were rescued. Criminal charges are being prepared against the arrested suspects, SANA said.
New restrictions on commercial transit
In a separate move to regulate trade and border security, the ports and customs authority has issued a new policy restricting truck access at land crossings and seaports.
Commercial trucks will now only be permitted entry for loading or unloading upon presentation of an original receipt from the Ministry of Transport’s freight office.
The transfer of cargo between Syrian and non-Syrian vehicles must now take place strictly within designated customs yards at border crossings.
Trucks passing through Syria in transit remain permitted, provided they are under a mandatory customs escort between entry and exit points.
