Judges resign in Egypt, NGO trial to continue despite state TV report

Judges resign in Egypt, NGO trial to continue despite state TV report.(BM).CAIRO: An earlier report on Wednesday by Egypt’s state television revealing that the trial of 43 NGO workers was to be abandoned has turned out to be false.
According to new information, the judges on the case have resigned, but the trial itself is expected to continue on April 26 as planned.
Egypt’s state television had reported on Wednesday morning that the trial of 43 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, was being abandoned. The case, over alleged illegal funding of NGOs in the country had sparked tension between Washington and Cairo and angered local activists.
The presiding judge, Mohammed Shukri, made a formal request to renounce the case, without citing a reason, according to the TV report.
Among those who had been on trial were 19 Americans, 5 Serbians, two Germans, three Arabs and the remaining Egyptians. Sam LaHood, the son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who had made headlines recently after being barred from leaving Egypt, was among those charged.
The spat over American citizens being barred from leaving Egypt had left a diplomatic row between the military junta here in Egypt and the American government.
A senior State Department official said earlier this month that a “handful of US citizens have opted to stay in the embassy compound in Cairo while awaiting permission to depart Egypt.”The official, who was not allowed to discuss the matter on the record, would not say whether Sam LaHood, the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, was among those at the embassy.LaHood said that he feared he could be jailed for up to five years after being barred from leaving the country in late January.
LaHood and a number of other Americans were banned from leaving Egypt little over a week ago.
The younger LaHood told Fox News via telephone last month that an Egyptian judge claims he, along with the other Americans stopped, worked for an unregistered non-governmental organization and took a salary.“We’re kind of expecting the worst,” LaHood said.For its part, the White House demanded that Egypt “immediately” lift the travel ban on Americans.Hmmm.......In Other News Saudi Arabia Just pledged $ 3,75 Billion to Egypt.......Who needs U.S.Money?Read the full story here.More here.