Archive for Ahmed Shafiq

Ahmed Shafiq: presidency not involved in mediation over return to Egypt

by admin
December 30th, 2012

Former prime minister and presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq denied that the Egyptian presidency has intervened to allow his return to the country.

Local media have reported that a number of public figures are mediating with the Egyptian presidency to drop the charges filed against Shafiq in preparation for his return to Egypt.

Shafiq said in a press statement on Saturday that reports of the presidency’s role in this mediation were “pure fabrication and lies.”

The last prime minister in former president Hosni Mubarak’s regime, Shafiq fled to Dubai in June after the prosecutor general began an investigation into allegations of corruption during his government service.

Shafiq also criticized Egypt’s new Constitution.

“I cannot in any way accept to participate in any understanding based on a rejected constitution, and a Constituent Assembly that has nothing to do with the majority of the people of this country, in addition to systematically rigging the will of Egyptians, in all elections and referendums that have took place including the presidential election,” he said.

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National Salvation Front: Brotherhood is terrorizing opposition

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December 28th, 2012

Hussein Abdel Ghany, the media spokesperson for the National Salvation Front, accused the Muslim Brotherhood of resorting to Mubarak-era tactics to discredit the opposition.

Front leaders Mohamed ElBaradei, Hamdeen Sabbahi and Amr Moussa are under investigation on charges of treason as per the instructions of the Brotherhood’s guidance bureau, Abdel Ghany said, claiming that this indicated a narrow understanding of democracy.

“Repeated attempts to discredit the opposition is a Mubarak-style method to terrorize political opponents,” he told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Such charges won’t terrorize the opposition or stop them from peacefully fighting against the Brotherhood dictatorship and tyranny under the name of religion, Abdel Ghany continued.

"I say to the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood: Do not follow the same methods of the former regime … The Salvation Front will support peaceful protests and will not back down on battles against tyranny," he said.

Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah agreed to assign a judge to investigate allegations of treason levied against the members of the front.

Al-Sayed Hamed, a member of the executive bureau of the Lawyers Syndicate’s Freedoms Committee, filed the charges along with his colleague, Nasser al-Asqalany.

The National Salvation Front is a coalition of 15 liberal parties opposed to the recently instated Constitution. Its members claim the constitutional referendum was rigged. Prior to the referendum, the front led demonstrations against the Constitution in front of the presidential palace. At least 10 died in the course of clashes with supporters of President Mohamed Morsy.

Hamed is also bringing charges of treason against former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan, Judges Club head Ahmed al-Zend and Supreme Constitutional Court Vice President Tahani al-Gebali.

Filing criminal charges against opposition figures was a common practice during former President Hosni Mubarak’s era.

Ghad al-Thawra Party leader Ayman Nour was sentenced to five years in prison in December 2005 for allegedly forging signatures to enable him to register the Ghad Party. The party had been approved in 2004. Nour was released from prison in February 2009.

Nour finished second after Mubarak in the presidential election in September 2005. Some observers argued that the case was punishment for his unexpected bid for presidency.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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ElBaradei, Sabbahi, Moussa investigated for treason

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December 27th, 2012

Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah agreed to assign a judge to investigate allegations of treason levied against Constitution Party leader Mohamed ElBaradei and former presidential candidates Amr Moussa and Hamdeen Sabbahi.

Al-Sayed Hamed, a member of the executive bureau of the Lawyers Syndicate’s Freedoms Committee, filed the charges along with his colleague, Nasser al-Asqalany.

ElBaradei, Moussa and Sabbahi lead the National Salvation Front, a coalition of 15 liberal parties opposed to the recently instated Constitution. They claim the constitutional referendum was rigged.

Prior to the referendum, the front led demonstrations against the Constitution in front of the presidential palace. At least ten died in the course of clashes with supporters of President Mohamed Morsy.

Hamed is also bringing charges of treason against former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan, Judges Club head Ahmed al-Zend and Supreme Constitutional Court Vice President Tahani al-Gebali.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Abouel Fotouh: Second round referendum result will be ‘copy’ of first

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December 20th, 2012

Two former presidential candidates are speculating about the results of the second phase of the referendum on Saturday, after the draft constitution won 56 percent approval from voters during the first phase last week.

Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, head of the Strong Egypt Party and a former presidential candidate, said that he expects the second stage of the referendum to be “a carbon copy” of the first. 

An estimated 31 percent of voters in 10 governorates went to the polls on Saturday, 15 December. The remaining 17 governorates are scheduled to vote on Saturday.

Abouel Fotouh said he wished the new constitution would receive a 90 percent majority, with a voter turnout of around 70 percent. That way, Egypt would have a new constitution that satisfies the people, so that the country could move past the current state of polarization, which he blamed on the political leadership as well as the opposition.

He described the political polarization as “elitist,” adding that even though his party rejects the draft constitution, it recognizes that people should yield to popular will as represented in the referendum results, Qatar News Agency reported.

“We do not reject the constitution in its entirety. Regrettably, constitutions are not put to referendum as articles. Had we been asked to vote on articles separately [rather than on the whole document] we would have accepted most of its articles and only rejected those to which we object,” he said.

Abouel Fotouh added that he has objective reasons for rejecting the constitution that are disconnected from ongoing political disagreements.

Ahmed Shafiq, a member of former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime who lost to this year's presidential election to Mohamed Morsy, expected results in the second phase of voting to mirror the results of the presidential election. He anticipated that people would vote “yes” or “no” based on their opinion of the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsy. 

He said he hopes residents in the Delta governorate of Monufiya “will play a major role in serving Egypt” when they head to the polls Saturday.

Monufiya gave Shafiq approximately half of its total votes in the first round of the presidential election and over 70 percent of the votes in the second round, which concluded in June.

On Thursday, Shafiq said on his Twitter account, “I will remain indebted to the people of Monufiya for as long as I live. I hope their role in serving Egypt next Saturday does not fall short of expectations.”

Edited translation from MENA and Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Prosecution orders inquiry into figures accused of ‘plotting to overthrow the govt’

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December 9th, 2012

Prosecutor General Talaat Ibrahim Abdallah referred to investigators Sunday a complaint that people from the judiciary, politics and journalism are "plotting to overthrow the government."

Judicial sources told the media that Abdallah instructed the North Giza public prosecutor to start a judicial investigation into the report, which was submitted by lawyer Hamed Seddiq.

The list of people accused in the report include Tahani al-Gebali, vice president of the Supreme Constitutional Court; Ahmed al-Zend, head of the Judges Club; Mostafa Bakry, editor-in-chief of Al-Osbou newspaper; Shawqy al-Sayyed, secretary of former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq; Hamdeen Sabbahi, former presidential candidate; and lawyer Mortada Mansour.

The report accused the public figures of "conspiring with others, and planning to overthrow the government, create chaos, sabotage the country, threaten the people, shed blood and destroy public and private property."

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Court denies Illicit Gains Authority request to freeze Shafiq’s assets

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December 8th, 2012

The Cairo Criminal Court has rejected a request from the Illicit Gains Authority to freeze the assets of former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and his three daughters.

The court ordered the Illicit Gains Authority, which is part of the Justice Ministry, to cancel its previous decision to freeze the assets of Shafiq and his daughters Sherine, Mai and Amina, which would prevent them from disposing their liquid and movable funds, real estate, stocks, bonds and bank balances.

The authority had previously requested that the Cairo Court of Appeal support its decision.

Investigations and regulatory reports had raised suspicions about possible graft cases involving Shafiq, leading the authority to make its initial decision.

Decisions to freeze funds, either by the Illicit Gains Authority, the General Prosecution or investigating judges summoned by the justice minister, are temporary decisions that must subsequently be ratified by a criminal court. The decision lasts until the defendant is either referred to criminal court or the case is suspended.

Edited translation from MENA

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Public prosecutor calls for investigation into Shafiq’s vote rigging complaint

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November 11th, 2012

Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud sent a letter to Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky demanding he assign a judge to investigate reports that the presidential election was flawed.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Adel al-Saeed said that investigations must be carried out under the law.

Losing presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq filed a complaint with Mahmoud last month claiming that the election was rigged.  

Morsy garnered 51.7 percent of votes to Shafiq’s 48.3 percent in the election runoff in June.

Shafiq’s complaint listed specific incidents of ballot rigging and invalidation. He also demanded an explanation for a Muslim Brotherhood press conference announcing the result of the election before the Presidential Elections Commission had released the official results.

The complaint also called for investigations into instances in which Christians were prevented from voting and cited a Carter Center report detecting rigging in favor of his opponent, as well as foreign press reports claiming that his opponent received US$50 million in funding.  

Hatem Bagato, secretary general of the PEC, said the prosecution is in charge of following up on Shafiq’s complaint under the guidelines of the law. He did not comment on the PEC’s decisions being immune from challenges under the Constitutional Declaration.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Tawadros: State needs to reassure Copts

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November 5th, 2012

The displacement of Egypt’s Coptic population is unacceptable, hateful, and tarnishes the nation’s international reputation, the newly-elected patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Bishop Tawadros II, said Monday.

In an interview with the privately-owned ONTV Live TV station, Tawadros said it is the role of the state to protect its citizens, and Copts are in need of reassurance from the government on many issues.

 “We live in a society where there are rights and duties,” Tawadros said, adding that there needed to be more education about sectarian strife and the need to respect others in schools, families and in the media.

Egypt saw sporadic bouts of sectarian violence in Alexandria, Dahshur and Rafah last month, where Coptic families were threatened by Islamist militants and forced to leave their homes.

Nearly 15 Coptic families had reportedly abandoned their homes in Rafah in September after unknown persons posted flyers demanding that they leave. Later, an unknown assailant fired at a Coptic-owned store. Acting Pope Bishop Pachomius, condemned the events.

Since the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, several sectarian acts of violence have targeted Coptic churches in different parts of the country.

Tensions grew during the transitional period as Islamist parties criticized the church for allegedly mobilizing the Copts to elect Ahmed Shafiq in the presidential election run-off. The church has also expressed reservations about the Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly that is tasked with drafting the new constitution.

In October 2011, military police suppressed a march outside the state television building in Maspero to condemn an attack on a church in Aswan. Video clips showed armored army vehicles running over mostly Coptic demonstrators.

Comprising six to 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 83 million, Copts allege they face discrimination at all levels of social and political life, including being restricted from building churches, being passed over for senior positions and being subject to repeated attacks from Islamist militants.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Church authorities: Discrimination against Copts on the rise

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October 29th, 2012

Sectarian violence and discrimination against Copts in education and the media has increased since the 25 January revolution, said Millet Council Secretary Kamil Seddiq on Monday.

“The Bible was burned and the officials did not move … It is time President Morsy proved that he is president of all Egyptians through his deeds, not his words,” Seddiq said.

He called on the new pope, to be elected on Tuesday, to lead the Church through the political changes facing the nation.

“We were faced with intransigence every time we wanted to build a church,” Seddiq said. “The new pope should establish good relations with the state.”

Since the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, several sectarian acts of violence have targeted Coptic churches in different parts of the country.

Tensions grew during the transitional period as Islamist parties criticized the church for allegedly mobilizing the Copts to elect Ahmed Shafiq in the presidential election run-off. The Church has also expressed reservations about the Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly that is tasked with drafting the new constitution.

Comprising six to 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 83 million, Copts allege they face discrimination at all levels of social and political life, including being restricted from building churches, being passed over for senior positions and being subject to repeated attacks from Islamist militants.

In October 2011, military police suppressed a march outside the state television building in Maspero to condemn an attack on Al-Marinab Church in Aswan. Video clips showed armored army vehicles running over the Coptic demonstrators.

Egypt has seen sporadic bouts of sectarian violence in Alexandria, Dahshur and Rafah earlier this month, where Coptic families were threatened by Islamist militants and forced to leave.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Source: Election fraud allegations won’t force president from office

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October 24th, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy’s position will not be affected by a challenge from former rival Ahmed Shafiq over presidential election results, a source at the Presidential Elections Commission told state-run Al-Akhbar.

On Monday, Chief Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud opened an investigation into Shafiq's complaint, which alleged incidents of ballot forgery and that Copts were prevented from voting in the runoff elections.

Shafiq's Egyptian National Movement Party also claimed on its Facebook page Tuesday that Morsy took office as the result of a deal between the Muslim Brotherhood, the Freedom and Justice Party and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. It claimed that under the deal, military leaders let Morsy win in exchange for the power to appoint the ministers of defense, interior and foreign affairs, and Morsy's agreement to discuss decisions with the military council.

But the anonymous source told Al-Akhbar that, by law, the election results cannot be challenged even if prosecutors define suspects and file charges against them. Article 28 of the Constitutional Declaration stipulates that Presidential Elections Commission decisions are final.

The source, however, said investigators should tackle Shafiq’s claim that ballot papers were tampered with at state print houses, noting that the commission had requested an investigation into the same issue.

The commission believes the challenge concerning Copts is unfounded, according to the same source.

Morsy won the runoff with 51.7 percent of the vote to Shafiq's 48.3 percent.

Shafiq, who traveled to the United Arab Emirates following the defeat, is standing trial in absentia for selling land owned by a pilots' association to former President Hosni Mubarak's sons, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, for below-market rates. He will also stand trial in November for financial corruption during his term as aviation minister.
 

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