Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Waly has reportedly been ordered to serve a year in jail and step down from her Cabinet position by a Dokki court due to her refusal to apply a judicial order, Youm7 reported Sunday.
The Dokki Misdemeanor Court headed by Judge Diaa El-Dein Sobhi handed down the decision Saturday following a lawsuit against the ministry for the alleged illegal occupancy of a building near the ministry headquarters.
The building, according to details published by Youm7, was said to be rented by the ministry in 2009, and the ministry refused to vacate the premises, so the owner sued and won the case. However, the ministry refused to give the building back, which led to the judge’s decision.
Youm7 added that an appeal by the ministry was refused, and that the court Saturday ordered Waly to a year in jail and for her removal from her position.
In statements to Al-Ahram Saturday, Waly said she did not know anything about the court order, and that she has never refrained from applying any judicial order.
Waly has previously faced criticism for her involvement in implementing an NGO law allowing the government to approve, fire and hire NGO boards of directors.
The law was called “repressive” and a “flagrant violation of the Constitution” in a joint statement released by The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) last August.
