the Court of Appeal and two officers of the army,48 or simply decide that it be formed of three military officers. 49 Before appointing the judges and/or military officers, the law provides that the President of the Republic shall seek the opinion of the respective Minister of Justice and the Minister of War.50 128. The Complainants also argue that, the degree of control which the President of the Republic exercises over the composition, conduct and outcome of proceedings before the State Security Court is antithetical to the notion of an independent and impartial judicial process because, the President, for example exercises the following powers:  the President may suspend a case before it is submitted to Supreme State Security Emergency Court or order the temporary release of the accused person before referral of the case to the Supreme State Security Emergency Court;51  decisions of the Supreme State Security Emergency Court are final only when they‟re approved by the President of the Republic, and cannot thereafter be challenged before any other court in Egypt;52  the President of the Republic may commute, change, suspend or cancel such decisions. He may also order the release of defendants53; and or  48 Id, Art. 7. 49 Id, Art. 8. 50 Id, Art. 7. 51 Id, Art. 13. 52 Id, Art. 12. 53 Id, Art. 14. 54 Id, Art. 15. order the retrial of the case before another court.54 35