Egyptian who ruled in favor of ceding key islands to Saudi Arabia voted parliament speaker

But the government appealed the ruling to the Supreme Constitutional Court.

The Supreme Constitutional Court, headed by Gebaly, decided in March 2018 to void the High Administrative Court’s ruling and to proceed with the Saudi-Egyptian maritime border agreement, ceding the two islands to Saudi Arabia. Gebaly said at the time that signing the agreement and ceding the two islands “was part of the state’s sovereign decisions. The judiciary does not have the authority to endorse or nullify the decision.” He said the High Administrative Court’s ruling undermined the executive authority represented by the president.

Adel Rashed, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s executive office who has been in self-exile in Turkey for more than six years, said Gebaly was elected speaker “to honor him for closing the judicial file regarding the Tiran and Sanafir islands, and to praise his shameful ruling of canceling any provisions related to the Egyptian ownership of the two islands and participating in ceding them to the kingdom.”

He told Al-Monitor through an online video communication service, “Sisi’s regime is sending a message to everyone that whoever is on his side and rules in his favor will be rewarded and put in the highest positions.”

Rashed added, “Shame will continue to haunt Sisi’s regime and Gebaly, and whoever contributed to ceding the two islands to Saudi Arabia. The day will come when Gebaly and whoever was complicit in selling the two islands will be punished, rather than rewarded.”

Issam Hilal, secretary-general of the Nation’s Future Party and a member of the Senate, told Al-Monitor, “We decided to endorse Gebaly [for speaker] because of his rich judicial history.”

Hilal refused to answer the question about any link between supporting Gebaly and his ruling in favor of the agreement to cede control of Tiran and Sanafir. He said, “I don’t have an answer to allegations that endorsing him to be speaker of parliament was a reward for his ruling. The judiciary in Egypt is decent and independent and does not need rewards to do the right thing. Nobody can doubt the transparency of an Egyptian judge or court.”