Appeal of Red Sea island deal ruling adjourned to 3 July

Egypt’s High Administrative Court hearing Sunday a government appeal on a Saudi-Egyptian border demarcation case postponed the session until 3 July to study a recusal request presented by lawyers opposed to the deal.

Earlier on Sunday, lawyers who argued against the 8 April agreement with Saudi Arabia requested the panel of the High Administrative Court hearing the government’s appeal to void the deal recuse itself.

The judges adjourned Sunday’s session to prepare a response to the lawyers’ request.

Later in the day, the judges decided to refer the lawyers request to a separate panel within the Administrative Court to review the legal basis for the lawyers’ request and issue recommendations on whether to step down or not.

On Sunday, the judges heard opening arguments from government lawyers who had submitted the appeal.

Immediately afterwards, lawyers Khaled Ali and Adel Soliman , who have spearheaded the campaign to establish Egyptian sovereignty over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, moved to request the panel step down.

Egypt’s Administrative Court ruled on 21 July that the border re-demarcation agreement signed between Cairo and Riyadh that placed the two islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi waters is void, adding that they should remain under Egyptian sovereignty.

The judge who issued the ruling, State Council Vice President Judge Yehia El-Dakroury, reasoned that since the agreement was void, “the islands should remain part of Egyptian territory and within Egyptian borders; Egyptian sovereignty over the islands holds, and it forbidden to change their status in any form or through any procedure for the benefit of any other state.”

source: Ahram Online