Parliament to continue discussing Criminal Procedure Law on Wednesday

Discussions over the law’s amendment started in August, expected to be finished during the third legislative term

Parliament’s Committee of Constitutional and Legislative Affairs is scheduled to continue discussing the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Law on Wednesday and Thursday, local media reported.

The committee has held three exceptional sessions regarding the law’s amendment in August, in which Minister of Justice Mohamed Hossam Abdel Rahim and General Prosecutor Nabil Sadek attended the sessions, as well as members of judicial authorities, judges, lawyers, and professors, who were invited to provide their views.

Two weeks ago, State Council concluded reviewing the government draft of the Criminal Procedure Law and is set to deliver it within a few days to the cabinet, local media reported.

The government decided to amend the law to step up new regulations that could assist in the litigation process in criminal cases, as there have been a large number of cases that remain pending in courts.

The law will witness its first comprehensive amendment since the 1950s.The new draft submitted by the government includes 260 articles and originally consisted of 560 articles, of which some were omitted, replaced, and edited.

The suggested amendments for the law include improving provisions of travel bans and per-trial detention, regulating the investigation process, conditions of referring criminal cases to court, and activation of appeals in criminal courts.

The law is scheduled to be approved in the upcoming third legislative term that will begin in October.