In furtherance of the bonds of judicial cooperation and promoting the exchange of expertise between the judicial systems of Egypt and the United Kingdom, Asem El-Ghayesh, President of the Court of Cassation and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council of Egypt, led a high-level delegation from the Egyptian Court of Cassation on a historic visit to the United Kingdom — a first in the history of judicial relations between the two countries.

At the outset of the visit, Justice El-Gayesh proceeded to the seat of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, where he was received by the Rt Hon. Lord Robert Reed, President of the Court, and the Rt Hon. Lord Philip Sales, Deputy President of the Court. Both dignitaries commended the Egyptian Court of Cassation for its leading role in upholding the rule of law and safeguarding judicial independence.

The President of the Court of Cassation signed the Supreme Court’s Distinguished Visitors’ Book, following which commemorative gifts were exchanged as an affirmation of the importance of mutual relations and shared commitment to the continuation of fruitful cooperation.

The visit also included a tour of the headquarters of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC), where the Egyptian delegation was received by Justice Robin Knowles and members of the SIFoCC Secretariat, who briefed the Egyptian delegation on the role of the SIFoCC in fostering communication and the exchange of expertise among judges of commercial courts worldwide. The SIFoCC has invited the Egyptian side to join SIFoCC, in a step reflecting the standing of the Egyptian judiciary and its pioneering role at both the regional and international levels.

The visit culminated in an academic engagement hosted by the prestigious University of Cambridge (UOC), where the Egyptian delegation took part in a workshop moderated by Dr. Hend Hanafy, a UOC Assistant Professor of Criminal Law. The workshop addressed the highly significant subject of sentencing guidelines and the experience of England and Wales in this regard, drawing a comparison with the sentencing framework applied within the Egyptian judicial system.

The workshop brought together a distinguished group of leading academics, foremost among them Professor Nicola Padfield, a UOC professor and a former judge, as well as Professor Julian Roberts of the University of Oxford.

In his address, the Egyptian delegation also provided the audience with an overview of the Egyptian criminal justice system, as well as the role of the Court of Cassation in supervising sentencing discretion, and the profound impact of its rulings on the legal community in Egypt and beyond.

Justice El-Gayesh commended this distinguished academic, scholarly event; expressing his appreciation for the rich discussions it featured and the valuable intellectual contribution it afforded.

At the conclusion of the visit, Justice El-Gayesh, President of the Court of Cassation and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, met with the Lady Chief Justice, the Rt Hon. Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, Head of the Judiciary of England and Wales, at the Royal Courts of Justice, in a high-level bilateral meeting that underscored the importance both sides attached to the visit.

The visit also included a series of high-level meetings, namely:

1. with Lady Justice May, Chair of the Sentencing Council, who, together with her team, provided a detailed briefing on the role of the Council in issuing guidelines to assist judges in imposing appropriate and proportionate sentences for each offence; and

2. with Lord Justice Richard Snowden, Judge in Charge of International Relations for the Judiciary of England and Wales.

The Egyptian delegation also gained insight into judicial training and capacity-building mechanisms through a meeting with a group from the Judicial College of England and Wales (JC), led by Mr. Justice David Williams, Head of JC Training.

19/5/2026

The Secretary-General

of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Official Spokesman

Judge / Ahmed Refaat

Vice President of the Court of Cassation