Campaigns to ‘purge’ Lawyers’ Syndicate from MB associates

CAIRO – 8 June 2018: Dozens of lawyers called for “purging” their syndicate from those who belong to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group and disbarring Egyptian dissident politician Ayman Nour, for not exercising his legal profession and for being legally convicted of “dishonorable crimes.”

“Lawyers categorically reject the membership of the MB affiliates of the Lawyers’ Syndicate,” said Abdel Maged Gaber, the official spokesperson of ‘Support Your Syndicate Head and Profession’ campaign.

Gaber revealed that most of the Lawyers’ Syndicate’s members refused the membership request submitted by former top auditor Hisham Genena. “The law does not allow exceptions. Genana was legally convicted and he lacked the good reputation condition which is a must to join the syndicate.”



FILE - Former president Mohamed Morsi meets the leader of the Ghad al-Thawra (Tomorrow's Revolution) party Ayman Nour to discuss challenges Egypt faces, 2013

Gaber called for purging the syndicate from key MB members, most notably Ayman Nour who lacks good reputation and was imprisoned for five years over a rigging crime.

“Nour has not been practicing his legal profession for a long time so the bylaw must be applied on him and he should be disbarred,” said lawyer Mohsen Abou Se’da.

Se’da stressed to Egypt Today that bylaws must not be breached and “legal procedures must be followed against the syndicate’s members who do not practice their legal profession.”

Aboul Naga Mehrazy, a member of the Lawyers’ Syndicate Council, affirmed that Genena is not eligible to join the syndicate after being sentenced for five years. “Any resigned consul applied for the Lawyers’ Syndicate membership is not taken seriously if he is convicted criminally or politically.”

“The Lawyers’ Syndicate cannot be a transit [point] for those who want to benefit from it without being engaged in the profession,” Head of the Lawyers’ Syndicate Sameh Ashour told private television Al-Nahar in October 2017.

According to Ashour, the Lawyers’ Syndicate in Egypt is the largest professional syndicate, embracing around 600,000 members. Only 150,000 of them are practicing their legal profession.

Nour, 54, fled Egypt following the ouster of MB-affiliated President Mohamed Morsi. He is believed to be living in Turkey, a staunch backer of the terrorist Brotherhood group.

In a related context, Egypt’s Journalists’ Syndicate announced in January that Nour’s membership was dropped because he didn’t pay his subscription fees for five years.

The Journalists’ Syndicate revealed that the decision to disbar Nour was not related to his membership to the Lawyers’ Syndicate.