Corrupt Contracts Law before the constitutional court
On June 10, 2018, The Commissioners Authority of the Supreme Constitutional Court reviewed appeal No. 120 the constitutional judiciary year 36, presented by ECESR lawyers, advocated the unconstitutionality of the provisions of Articles 1, 2 of the investment law (No 32 year 2014) which known as the corrupt contracts law, the court decided to postpone the case to July 12, 2018.
The Law had been issued by former President Adly Mansour, the law prevents any party other than the contracting parties from challenging sales or investment contracts signed by the state with any entity or investor, including decisions to privatize real estate property. Thus, the law will lead to the squandering of citizens’ and workers’ rights to address suspicions of corruption in those contracts, under the cover of the law. The contested law did not stop at that. It decided to stop all current appeals in all courts, even if filed prior to the law’s adoption. This provides immunity for former state contracts and allows the signing of new contracts, which further squander state assets and natural resources, especially in the absence of popular oversight. Public funds and Egypt’s wealth is a right for all citizens. Consequently, Egyptians have the right to oversee and safeguard such wealth. The government, however, decided to seize this right from the hands of citizens and judiciary authorities, particularly the administrative courts, which had issued several rulings invalidating corrupt contracts. The unjust law was issued after several decisions in favor of workers – obtained by ECESR and others organizations – invalidating several corrupt contracts and brought back several authorities and companies sold under suspicious circumstances, to say the least.
The appeal against Law 32 of 2014 was filed on behalf of 9 nine workers from NUBASEED (Noubaria Seed Production Co. Nubaseed S.A.E.) against the Prime Minister, Minister of Investment, and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reform, in their capacity, and addressed the legal representatives of several public and private real estate companies.
