court – now has jurisdiction over lawsuits valued at less than two hundred thousand pounds, with its rulings being final if the claim value does not exceed thirty thousand pounds. The jurisdiction of the First Instance Court now covers lawsuits valued at more than two hundred thousand pounds, with its rulings being final if the claim value does not exceed two hundred thousand pounds. Additionally, the jurisdiction of appeal been increased to five hundred thousand pounds instead of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Appeals concerning tenders will be admissible only if the disputed value exceeds thirty thousand pounds. This law shall be published in the Official Gazette and will come into effect on the first of October following its publication.

The Law of the Economic Courts was also modified by Law No. 156/2024, which amends certain provisions of the Economic Courts system. This legislative change reflects the desire to ensure confidence in both Egyptian and foreign investors in the Egyptian economy. in order to attract the money capital to Egypt, promote economic recovery, and to foster prosperity in the labor market 

The aforementioned modifications were the purpose of the establishment of the Economic Courts since 2008, which specialized in and are competent to handle all disputes arising from economic, commercial, and financial laws as stipulated in this law.

In light of accelerating the process of settling disputes related to commercial disputes regulations, Law No. 156 of the year 2024 amends the Economic Courts Law to establish economic criminal circuits as “first-degree courts,” which are competent to consider crimes within the jurisdiction of the Economic Court. These circuits are composed of three appellate judges, with at least one being a vice-president of the Court of Appeal. The Economic Criminal Appeals circuits consist of three Court of Appeal judges, with at least one with the rank of president of the Court of Appeal. The first instance circuits are responsible for misdemeanours, with appeals being heard by the designated Appeal circuits.

Furthermore, this amendment stipulates that the first-instance circuits have exclusive competence to consider disputes and lawsuits valued at fifteen million pounds or less. Judgments in these proceedings are final if the dispute value does not exceed seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds. The Appeal circuits have jurisdiction over disputes exceeding fifteen million pounds or those with an undetermined value. The law confirms that these amendments apply to all disputes within the jurisdiction of the Economic Courts.

This law shall be published in the Official Gazette and will come into effect on the day following its publication. We believe that the amendments made by the legislator are critical, beneficial, and commendable. In conclusion The law reflects the current economic situation of the country.

The Founding Partner

Dr. Ashraf Al-Feshawy