Egypt’s Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky has resigned in protest at “an assault” on the judiciary by President Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist backers, a spokesman said yesterday, underlining mounting tensions between the judiciary and the executive.

An outspoken supporter of reform under Mubarak

Mekky submitted his resignation to Morsi on Saturday, said the spokesman, Ahmed Salam. It followed a protest on Friday by Morsi’s Islamist backers in the Muslim Brotherhood demanding the “purification” of the judiciary.

An outspoken supporter of judicial reform during the rule of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, Mekky was named justice minister in August in the first government appointed by Morsi after his victory in June’s presidential election.

He opposes a proposed law under discussion in the Islamist-dominated Parliament that critics say would give the government too much control over the make-up of the judiciary, according to local media reports.

Mekky had threatened to resign if it was passed, though the Parliament has yet to vote on the law.

His resignation strips the government of a high-profile figure just as Morsi plans a reshuffle seen as an effort to ease tensions and convince the IMF there is enough political consensus on a loan deal vital to easing an economic crisis.

Egypt’s economy has been hit by more than two years of turmoil that has scared off tourists and investors and triggered a currency and budget crisis.

The country, which has rapidly been burning through the hard currency reserves it needs to import food to feed its 84 million people, has in recent weeks sought financial support from its Arab allies and key emerging powers.

At the time he came to office, Mekky was widely respected as a reformer. But he quickly came under attack from critics who said he had abandoned his principles.

The criticism spiralled in November when Morsi issued a controversial decree which the opposition saw as a power grab. Mekky was caught off guard.

In his resignation letter, Mekky said Friday’s protest showed that Morsi’s allies now agreed with his opponents on the need for him to step down. “Now is the time to realise my wish of lifting this burden from my shoulders,” he wrote.