The House of Representatives gave its final approval to several pieces of legislation yesterday, including the long-debated Criminal Procedures Law — concluding four months of extensive discussions on the 544-article legislation. The legislation lays out the framework for investigating, prosecuting, and trying criminal cases.

New Criminal Procedures Law will soon be the law of the land: MPs cast their final vote on the landmark overhaul to the Criminal Procedures Law, following several months of back-and-forth in committee and plenary sessions.

A sweeping glance: The law encompasses six chapters covering criminal prosecution, evidence collection, courts, appeals, enforcement, and international judicial cooperation.

An expanded rulebook: The law, which initially consisted of 540 articles, recently gained four new articles during the review process. Two of these were proposed and approved in yesterday’s session — one giving the Justice Minister authority to issue executive orders for implementing the law and another reducing death penalties when reconciliation is accepted by victims’ families in accordance with shariah.

A closer look- Here’s a rundown of some key provisions:

#1- Pretrial detention: Article 123 limits pretrial detention to one-third of the maximum potential custodial sentence for the alleged offense. The provision — which faced pushback from the Press Syndicate and the National Dialogue — effectively reduces the maximum pretrial detention periods to:

  • Four months for misdemeanors, down from six;
  • 12 months for felonies, down from 18;
  • 18 months for death penalties and life imprisonment, down from 24.

#2- Compensation for wrongful detention: Article 523 mandates state compensation for wrongful pretrial detention, provided that the person seeking compensation has not been detained pretrial in other cases.

#3- Surveillance: Articles 79, 80, and 82 grant prosecutors, with judicial approval, expanded surveillance powers in cases involving felonies or misdemeanors punishable by at least three months’ imprisonment. This includes the authority to monitor different communications — including letters, emails, text messages, and social media accounts — as well as to surveil electronic devices and record private conversations. These surveillance orders cannot exceed 30 days without renewal.

ALSO FROM THE HOUSE-

#1- A new structure for EMRA: MPs gave their final approval to amendments to the Mineral Resources Act that will restructure the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (EMRA) into an economic authority with an independent budget. The newly named Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority will retain 65% of its annual surplus and remit the remaining 35% to the state treasury. The changes aim to give the authority greater financial and administrative autonomy, while mandating it to localize mining industries, overhaul sector infrastructure, and attract more foreign investment into Egypt’s mining sector.

#2- NAT non-operating assets could be up for grabs: The House also gave final approval to amendments to the law regulating the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) that remove the “public utility” designation from the authority’s non-operating assets. The change will allow NAT — or any of its affiliated companies — to exploit these assets for investment purposes, including through potential partnerships or sales to private-sector players, as part of a broader effort to boost the authority’s revenue streams. The amendment only applies to assets not currently in operational use.

#3- The House also referred two draft laws related to the old rent laws to a joint committee for review and public consultation. The first draft proposes general amendments to the framework governing rent agreements, while the second would revise the 1996 law that extended civil law provisions to properties whose lease contracts have expired and where tenants no longer hold legal right to remain. The bills were submitted by the government.

Legacy rental contracts under the microscope: House Speaker Hanafi Gebali instructed the committee — comprising the housing, local administration, and legislative affairs committees — to launch an extensive dialogue involving relevant government bodies, legal experts, civil society organizations, and representatives from both landlords and tenants. Gebali stressed that the laws will not move forward without striking a legislative balance that “guarantees the rights of both parties in the rental relationship and ensures fairness.”

#4- Final green light to the draft Property ID Act: MPs also gave approval to a draft law that would assign properties a unique digital ID on a centralized government database earlier this week. We have the full rundown of the bill below in our Hardhat section.

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