Egyptian Justice Minister Mahmoud Helmy El-Sharif recently visited China to explore smart technologies that will be applied in Egypt's "City of Justice" project. The visit was carried out in accordance with directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to modernize the Egyptian judiciary and expand the use of technology to facilitate citizens' access to justice. During his visit, El-Sharif met with David Wang, the current rotating president of Huawei, and Benjamin Hu, president of Huawei Egypt.
The Egyptian delegation was given a detailed presentation on the modern technologies that will be implemented in the "City of Justice" project in the new Egyptian capital. These technologies are similar to those used in Chinese smart cities. The two parties then held an expanded meeting to discuss future cooperation between the Egyptian Ministry of Justice and Huawei. The focus was on transitioning to a fully digital litigation system and supporting Egyptian courts with various degrees of jurisdiction.
The goal is to improve the efficiency of litigation procedures and speed up the resolution of cases. The parties also discussed ways to make optimal use of recently established data centers and cloud computing in Egypt to host Ministry of Justice applications on the ministry's private cloud. Additionally, they explored mechanisms to maximize the use of a participatory platform for data from judicial bodies and entities.
During his visit, El-Sharif toured an advanced technology demonstration room at Huawei's headquarters. There, he was briefed on the company's latest digital innovations and solutions in smart city management, data centers, and infrastructure support for judicial institutions. He also visited the Shenzhen Digital Court, where he learned about China's experience using artificial intelligence in civil lawsuits.
El-Sharif and his delegation were introduced to a smart legal assistant that provides legal advice to litigants, as well as document analysis and presentation of relevant judicial precedents to judges. The visit also included a review of the stages of digital transformation of litigation procedures in China, including the use of electronic applications for case consideration, remote litigation, and voice-to-text conversion using artificial intelligence.
In return, El-Sharif presented Egypt's experience in digitalizing criminal courts, remote litigation, and voice-to-text conversion using artificial intelligence in various Egyptian dialects. This system is set to be implemented starting October 1. He also discussed cooperation with TDH, a company specializing in digital judicial applications and devices for digital justice.
The company expressed its appreciation for its cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Justice, which resulted in the creation of civil lawsuit applications and a participatory platform for the ministry. The company also announced its intention to establish a regional branch in Cairo to continue its cooperation with the Ministry of Justice. El-Sharif concluded his visit by praising the technological advancements he witnessed and reaffirming the ministry's commitment to applying global standards in "City of Justice" and all Egyptian courts.
Key points
- Egypt's Justice Minister visits Huawei in China to explore smart technologies for the "City of Justice" project.
- The project aims to modernize the Egyptian judiciary and expand the use of technology to facilitate citizens' access to justice.
- The two parties discussed future cooperation, including transitioning to a fully digital litigation system and supporting Egyptian courts.
