The Court of Appeals postponed the case of the Bribery of judges yesterday to its next session for September 21. It rejected the defence requests to release its clients and decided to charge the accused judges, businessmen and lawyers with bribery indictments.
Six judges and other defendants appeared and the hearings were accompanied by the testimonies of two businessmen, other employees, heads of departments at the Ministry of Justice and lawyers, an Arabic daily reported.
The Criminal Court had sentenced the six judges to imprisonment for varying periods of 5 to 15 years and dismissed them from their jobs. They further obligated them to return the vehicles they received as gifts and in the second case of Iranian national Fouad Salehi the said judges were accused of bribery, forgery and money laundering.
Sources reiterated that the judges sentenced to imprisonment denied the charges against them and demanded that the convictions against them be rescinded and that they be acquitted. Though the Public Prosecution ordered that the Court of Appeals uphold the prison sentences of the three defendants, including two judges.