Despite ruling his death a suicide, prosecutors have ordered an autopsy of his body amid reports of rising deaths in police custody. Authorities have issued a gag order blocking local media from reporting on the case.
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A senior Egyptian judge committed suicide on Monday a day after police arrested him on corruption charges, state-run news outlet "al-Ahram" reported.
Wael Shalabi, secretary general of the council of state, the umbrella organization for Egypt's administrative court, had hanged himself in his cell, his lawyer told Reuters news.
"My client hanged himself using a scarf he was wearing. He was going through a terrible psychological state during his questioning," Shalabi's lawyer Sayed Beheiry said.
"It is very hard to be a big important judge and suddenly you lose everything and sit in front of an investigator being accused of taking a bribe," he added.
After news of his death leaked, the public prosecutor's office on Monday issued a gag order on local media reporting on details of the case.
Prosecutors ordered his detention shortly after arresting Gamal el-Labban, the council's chief procurement officer, for alleged corruption.
Local media reported that police found millions in Egyptian pounds, euros and dollars when they took Labban into custody.
Labban's arrest last week prompted Shalabi to resign, which the council accepted on Saturday.
The arrests mark a rare probe into corruption within Egypt's judiciary. The anti-corruption Administrative Control Authority, which launched the investigation, witnessed its head Hisham Geneina sentenced to one year in prison earlier in June after leading a major anti-corruption campaign. Authorities charged him with disrupting public order.
'Shockingly complacent'
While the public prosecutor's office has ordered an autopsy of Shalabi's body after deeming his death suicide, it is common for law enforcement authorities to deflect responsibility for the deaths of detained individuals.
In 2013, a French teacher had been found dead in his cell after being arrested in Cairo's upper-class district Zamalek the night before. Authorities claimed he had been beaten by his fellow inmates.
During President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's first 100 days in office, 35 people died in police custody, according to a report published by Egypt's non-government organization Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence.
In 2014, the year el-Sissi assumed office, the justice ministry's forensic medical authority recorded a nearly 40 percent increase in deaths of individuals in custody.
"The Egyptian authorities have appeared shockingly complacent in the face of so many detainee deaths," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa director, in a 2015 report on deaths in Egyptian jails.
"They need to ensure that all such deaths, as well as abuse allegations, are independently investigated, and rapidly put in place and enforce effective safeguards to protect everyone in state custody," she added.
Big expectations for Egypt's President el-Sissi
He's been seen as pulling the strings in Cairo since the fall of ex-President Mohammad Morsi. On Sunday (08.06.2014), former army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sissi was sworn in as Egypt's new president.
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Military back in charge
While he's now clothed as a civilian, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has spent his career in the Egyptian military. After the former commander-in-chief announced his candidacy for president, his election to the post was considered a mere formality. Around 23 million Egyptians are said to have voted for him.
Image: Reuters
Twist of fate
El-Sissi's arch enemy Mohammed Morsi was the one who gave the new president's career a decisive push. In August 2012, then-President Morsi appointed the general as commander-in-chief of the Egyptian armed forces - in part due to el-Sissi's reputation as a pious man of faith. It was a promotion that didn't benefit the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2013, el-Sissi helped overthrow Morsi.
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Military career
El-Sissi had already shown his uncompromising side during the 2011 revolution. At the time, the Egyptian military committed serious human rights offenses for which el-Sissi bears some responsibility. As head of military intelligence, the general wasn't just familiar with Egypt's infamous secret prisons. His position also lent him much influence over the country's political leaders.
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Scarcely a chance
The presidential election in Egypt was largely a formality. El-Sissi's opponent, Hamdeen Sabahi, had no chance. The official vote tally saw el-Sissi win with 96.9 percent of the vote. The ex-military chief campaigned on a program of heavy state intervention, while a minimum wage and lower executive pay were key planks in Sabahi's bid for the office.
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Cheers from many in Egypt
Sabahi accepted his defeat. Many Egyptians have been celebrating President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in a euphoric fashion. They see him as a strong person who can perhaps get the country, which is facing numerous problems, back on its feet. Egyptians are expecting more security and a quick economic recovery from el-Sissi.
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High unemployment
Three years after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt is still suffering from a serious economic crisis. A huge deficit and growing unemployment are breeding discontent; particularly among young people, who have few job prospects. That all adds up to a major challenge for el-Sissi.
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Support from home and abroad
El-Sissi has so far issued only vague statements about possible economic reforms. However, he can count on help from other Arab countries. The rich Gulf States and Saudi Arabia have already pumped billions into the country to stabilize it. Furthermore, he can count on Support from the military as well as the civil servant sector, which was largely recruited under ex-president Mubarak.
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Targeting Morsi and his supporters
While members of the military and bureaucrats are hoping for more influence, many who benefited from the original revolution in 2011 are vanishing into prison. Ever since the fall of the country's first freely elected president on July 3, 2013, the government in Cairo has taken a harsh course of action against him and his supporters. The trial against ex-president Morsi is still ongoing.
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Long jail terms or death
Meanwhile, hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members have been sentenced to death or long prison terms. The government has listed the conservative Islamic organization as a terrorist group and banned it. Thousands of the group's supporters - including all of its leaders - were arrested shortly after their protests in the summer of 2013. Independent opposition figures were also sent to jail.
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An end in sight?
Aside from addressing the country's severe economic problems, el-Sissi is also out to quell rebellion. Islamist attacks and fighting have paralyzed the country for months. But Egyptians don't seem to expect a miracle from the former general on this point. That's suggested by their low participation in the recent vote - just 44 percent - which was much lower than expected.
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The president's opponents
The Muslim Brotherhood are the new president's chief opponents. After Hosni Mubarak was ousted, the group won not just the presidential polls with Mohammed Morsi, but also all other recent elections. Even during the summer of 2013, when many took to the streets to protest against President Morsi's politics, the Muslim Brotherhood was also able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of supporters.
Image: Reuters
Mubarak's end
Ex-president Hosni Mubarak is playing no role in the power struggle. Although suffering from severe health problems, he was sentenced by a Cairo court to three years in jail and still has to answer for the deaths of more than 800 demonstrators during protests in 2011 - charges that could result in the death penalty for him.
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Ongoing tradition
Hosni Mubarak was president for nearly 30 years. Before him, only members of the military had occupied the country's highest office since the founding of the republic in 1953. El-Sissi's election continues this tradition, which also manifests itself in another way: Up to 40 percent of Egypt's economy is driven by entrepreneurs who are connected with the military.
