Judge Adel Abdel-Hamid was appointed as Egypt's justice minister on Sunday, and took oath of office before interim President Adli Mansour on the same day.

Abdel-Hamid held the same post last year in the government of former Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri during the temporary military rule after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak.

The new justice minister graduated from the faculty of law in Cairo University in 1960.

Since graduation, Abdel-Hamid worked in the prosecution until July 1973, when he was appointed as judge at Giza Court of First Instance. Afterwards, he held several posts at the general prosecution until March 1984, when he was appointed as a counselor at the Court of Cessation.

In late June 1989, Abdel-Hamid was appointed as deputy chief of the Court of Cessation, then in the beginning of July 2009 he was appointed as head of the same court as well as chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council.

In his first statement as new justice minister, Abdel-Hamid said that the justice ministry will play an important role in the country's transitional stage.

"I will work on guaranteeing independence of the judiciary and enhancing trust between citizens and the judiciary," he said.

Born in 1939, Abdel-Hamid is married with two daughters and a son. His daughters are Chirine, a graduate in the American University in Cairo; and Rasha, a prosecutor. His son, Ahmed, is an engineer.

As a man known to be quiet and decisive, Abdel-Hamid has a history of issuing sensitive verdicts in cases that drew broad attention, such as the execution of the murderer of a famous singer's daughter and her friend. Endi

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