4 security officials to sit on committee empowered to dismiss state employees without disciplinary process

A new committee, which is to include four security officials and six officials from the justice system and will ultimately answer directly to the president, will be tasked with deciding whether or not state employees can be dismissed without disciplinary action.

As of this year, it is legal for workers in the civil service and state-run industries to be summarily fired if their names are added to government terrorist lists, even if they are yet to be investigated on suspicion of terrorism, or in several other scenarios.

As of April 2021, the number of people who appear on state terrorist lists had grown to over 6,700 names, according to local press reports. According to human rights groups, the state has repeatedly abused the terrorism lists to target members of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as independent activists in detention and other political prisoners. 

Amendments to a 1970s law on civil service approved by lawmakers in the spring also allow for state employees to be dismissed if they are deemed to have “violated professional duties” in ways that harm “economic interest or national production” and “if there is “serious evidence” that an employee has “undermined national security and stability.” In addition, the new bill allows the president to delegate dismissal powers to the prime minister.

According to the changes, being listed on a government terrorist list is evidence of such a threat and therefore grounds for non-disciplinary dismissal. 

In the civil service law, which may now be bypassed, a state employee is entitled to be reviewed by a disciplinary committee and to go through an administrative investigation process before they can be fired.

The new committee empowered to bypass these processes, which is to be formed on the authority of an October 2 presidential decree, will be headed by a deputy to the justice minister, and will comprise four security officials: a representative from the military intelligence under the Defense Ministry, the National Security Agency under the Interior Ministry, the National Security Authority under the General Intelligence Service and the military prosecution.

A further six representatives will come from judicial bodies including the Administrative Control Authority, the Public Prosecution, the ministries of Finance and Justice and the Central Agency For Organization and Management. The committee falls under the prime minister’s authority. 

If an employee is selected for dismissal, their file will be reviewed by the committee, which will issue a set of recommendations and come to a conclusion about the employee’s security profile. Their conclusion will be presented to the president, or to the prime minister if the president delegates the task.

According to a 2015 law, being added to a terrorist list is a “precautionary measure” that should be approved by a judge upon an official request from the public prosecutor. Former parliamentarian Zyad Elelaimy, Hossam Moannis, and around 80 political figures and activists in the Coalition for Hope case were added to terrorist lists.