Egypt's Prosecutor General defies presidential decision

Egypt's Prosecutor General  defied on Saturday a presidential decision to remove him from his post, entering his office in a central Cairo courthouse flanked by security and hundreds of judges and attorneys.

President Mohammed Morsi ordered Prosecutor General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud to step down to appease public anger over the acquittals of ex-regime officials accused of orchestrating violence against protesters last year.

But Mahmoud and a powerful judges' club said that infringed on the judiciary's independence.

"I ask that President Morsi consult with those who would give him good advice and seek the opinion of those who want to see Egypt succeed and put aside those who mislead him and those who cause trouble around him," said Ahmed al-Zend, head of Egypt's Judges Club judicial union.

The conflict over the prosecutor general is the latest challenge facing Morsi, who is seeking to assert his authority after being elected president in June in the wake of the popular uprising which ousted his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.

After briefly returning to work on Saturday, Mahmoud headed to the presidency for a meeting to defuse the tension.

Throngs of supporters turned out to greet the relieved prosecutor general outside his offices in Cairo.


AP