COURTS IN EGYPT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21804, 19 May 1934, Page 11

COURTS IN EGYPT

CONSTITUTION AND USAGE MODIFICATION QUESTION (Received May 18. 6.20 p.m.) British Wireless RLGBY, May 37 The Foreign Secretary, Sir John Simon, was questioned to-day in the House of Commons about mixed courts in Egypt. In reply, he said the British Government had not yet received any proposals from the Egyptian Government for a modification of their constitution or usage. . Still less was the British Government' aware of any threat to denounce the conventions under which the courts were constituted. Nevertheless, said Sir John, he was aware that several points connected with the organisation of these tribunals recently had attracted attention in Egypt. Although ho would -not be expected to formulate the attitude of the Government toward claims which had not been put forward yet, in any further conversations with the Egyptian Government, as well as in the consideration of any official proposals which that Government might put forward, the following three points would be borne in mind: — (1) The technical and professional claim of Egyptian judges to equality with their foreign colleagues had been recojnised already by the mixed courts theni'selvcs. (.2) Whereas the use of Arabic in pleadings and the giving of evidence already was freely conceded, the suitability of that language for rendering and recording judgments, which must not only be based on French law, but must be intelligible to all the judges composing the Chamber, seemed at least to be open to doubt. ! (3) The mixed courts were not the only set of courts existing in f]gypt. There were other national courts which were purely Egyptian. Sir John said the peculiar importance of the mixed courts was due to the fact that they were created to relieve Egypt of the much greater burden imposed by the full consular jurisdiction which had existed previously and also to safeguard the interests of the foreign communities. Both those objects would have to be kept in view in dealing with any proposals for modifications.