The newly elected Egyptian public prosecutor Talaat Ibrahim stepped down late on Monday after massive protests by Egyptian judges and prosecutors against his appointment

The newly elected Egyptian public prosecutor Talaat Ibrahim stepped down late on Monday after massive protests by Egyptian judges and prosecutors against his appointment, judicial sources said.

Ibrahim was appointed to the post last month by President Mohamed Mursi after he sacked Mubarak-era Prosecutor General Abdel Magid Mahmoud. His resignation is expected to be presented to the Supreme Judicial Council next Sunday.

Mursi has adopted sweeping new powers in a controversial decree issued on November 22, which made the president's decisions beyond judicial oversight.

Members of the judiciary believed the president’s sacking of Ibrahim’s predecessor was an attack on their independence.