Archive for Hassan Malek

Sunday’s papers: 2011 called and wants its political figures back

by admin
September 30th, 2012

There are blasts from the past in today’s papers, as political and public figures that seemed to carry so much weight circa 2011 return to grace the front pages a year later, for varying reasons.

Keeping with more time-relevant information, Al-Tahrir newspaper sports a headline that includes Mohamed ElBaradei and Hamdeen Sabbahi alongside familiar names from 2011 such as Wael Ghonim. The story is that all these and other public figures are calling for a boycott of the Constituent Assembly that is drafting (still) Egypt’s new constitution.

Moving off the front page, under the banner of a new movement called the National Egyptian Coalition, a statement was released on behalf of all the aforementioned to boycott the assembly and refuse completely its draft document. The reason for this call to boycott is a belief that the draft contravenes Egyptian identity as well as the international treaties that Egypt is a signatory to. How much headway they expect to make with this statement is yet to be determined, but reality dictates that these vaunted public figures carry much less sway than they did a year ago, hence plastering this on the front page would have been more suitable then rather than now.

On a rather different note, everyone’s new favorite newspaper, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice (this reporter’s newspaper vendor says it outsells all other papers and that customers now suspect he’s hiding it because it’s always unavailable) puts a picture of none other than Ahmed Shafiq on its front page, the last person one would expect to see.

The reason why the almost-president-of-Egypt is there is because Brotherhood member Hassan Malek is spilling the beans on a meeting he had with Shafiq before the nominations for the presidential election began. And what a story it is.

According to Malek, Shafiq called him and asked for a meeting in July 2011 (that year again), which happened at the house of a “mutual friend.” During the meeting Shafiq asked Malek for the Brotherhood to back his candidacy for the presidency. He also requested a meeting with Mohamed Morsy and Saad al-Katatny to ask them their opinion on his candidacy because “if they don’t agree then I won't do it.” Malek then purportedly told him that it wouldn’t be a good idea because his connection with Hosni Mubarak had “burned him.” Malek then informed the other Brotherhood members of Shafiq’s wish to meet them and they refused.

And it doesn’t end there. Shafiq apparently wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept calling Malek, at one point urging him to arrange a surprise meeting at his house, before chiding Malek by saying, “Are you stingy or what?” Malek then met him again to convey the Brotherhood’s polite refusal to meet him. Politics and gossip can sometimes be one and the same.

Onto other papers and more pertinent news, Al-Shorouk leads with the story that the military is asking Rafah residents to help protect Coptic Christians in the area. Nine Coptic families in the area recently fled their homes under threat of attacks by militants. The military is responding with an initiative entitled “The Muslim protecting his Coptic Brother,” hoping to enroll the help of local residents in this issue.

Prime Minister Hesham Qandil paid a visit to Sinai, but not because Christian residents are fleeing for their lives. Rather, it was to meet tribal elders and also hold a meet and greet for Egyptian investors in the resort area of Taba in South Sinai, far from Rafah and it’s troubles in the North. Qandil was bullish about the future of South Sinai (they are two separate governorates) and estimated that the tourism industry would once again boom in Egypt, saying that the government is aiming to bring 11.5 million tourists into Egypt this year and 14 million next year. News that will surely assuage those in the North. 

Egypt’s papers:

Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt

Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size

Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run

Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run

Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned

Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned

Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned

Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party

Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned

Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party

Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party

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Report accuses Morsy of corruption

by admin
September 27th, 2012

A report was referred to the Public Funds Prosecution on Thursday accusing President Mohamed Morsy of profiting from his position and giving unfair advantage to business figures who are members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Saeed Mohamed Abdullah, founder of the Independent Association to Fight Corruption, filed a report to the public prosecutor accusing Morsy of reaping profits to repay the money spent on his election campaign. Abdullah claims this amounts to LE2 billion.

According to the allegations, Morsy has still not made public the funding sources of his election campaign. The Freedom and Justice Party would not have legally been able to raise those funds.

The report also highlighted the appointment of Hassan Malek, a businessman and member of the Muslim Brotherhood, as head of the businessmen delegation. The report accuses Malek of extracting and exporting phosphate without paying any charges or taxes to the state.

Consisting of more than 150 leading business figures, Malek's delegation accompanied the president on his visit to China. The report suggests that the visit was designed to achieve gain for Morsy, Malek and a few others, and not for the Egyptian people.

The report calls for the president to be investigated in accordance with the convention against corruption, and demands that LE2 billion be retrieved from Morsy.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
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Committee formed to liaise between Morsy, private sector

by admin
July 31st, 2012

The committee created by President Mohamed Morsy to liaise between his office and representatives from the private sector held its first closed meeting on Monday.

Its members include investors affiliated with the Egyptian Business Development Association, which has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Hassan Malek, the committee’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Tuesday that in its first meeting the group discussed forms of organization, establishing proper procedures, membership criteria and developing the committee’s vision for the coming period.

Malek lauded Morsy’s decision to form the committee to reach out to the private sector, which employs 17 million Egyptians and needs the support of the president, he said.

The committee would work to jump start the nation’s moribund economy while also planning for the future by undertaking strategic studies for long-term economic development, said Malek.

The committee’s first priority over the next three months will be to support Morsy’s 100-day plan, he continued.

Another committee member who asked to remain anonymous told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Malek's statement failed to highlight the high stakes and risk involved in work pertaining to Egypt’s economy.

The committee’s discussions focused on its role as a consultant to Morsy, the source said, and they also discussed developing and submitting suggestions for how to address economic problems to the president.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egyptian Business Development Association launching new projects

by admin
July 30th, 2012

The Egyptian Business Development Association, led by Muslim Brotherhood businessman Hassan Malek, held a Ramadan iftar for its members on 28 July. Malek used it as an opportunity to update fellow businessmen about the association’s latest developments, according to its Facebook page.

In his opening speech, Malek announced the formation of the Egyptian-Asian Forum, which will hold its first economic conference in November.

He spoke about the formation of an initiative for small and medium enterprises with an initial capitalization of LE100 million, wholly funded by Egyptian businessmen. He called on members of the association to support the initiative, which he said he hopes will create an equal partnership between funders and producers, with the understanding that it is a social investment.

Osama Farid, who is responsible for the association’s international cooperation committee, said the group signed 20 economic agreements with foreign traders and embassies, including Turkey, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Singapore, India, Canada and others.

The business association also held discussions with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, as well as other international financial institutions. It also participated in three international conferences in Italy, Turkey and Spain, Farid said.

Association board member Tareq al-Gamal spoke about the formation of the Egyptian Business Development Association University for Vocational Education, which he said would be the first of its kind in the Middle East. Gamal pointed to the success of this kind of training in the UK, which caters specifically to the demands of the labor market.

Other businessmen at the dinner included Abdel Rahman al-Seoudi, Safwan Thabet, Samir al-Nagar, Essam Haddad, Loay Abdel Wahed, Ahmed al-Ezaby, Mohamed Momen, Tareq Fahim, Moaz Malek and Ahmed Abdel Hafiz. All are board members of the association.

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Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
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FJP leader: Economic platform would restrict state’s role to coordinator

by admin
July 2nd, 2012

The Freedom and Justice Party’s economic platform would restrict the state’s role to that of a motivator and coordinator for economic activity, said Hassan Malek, head of the Muslim Brotherhood-led Egyptian Society for Business Development.

Malek rejected allegations that the Brotherhood is going to restore the former regime.

“It is unacceptable and illogical to say the Brotherhood and its party will reproduce the former regime through businessmen’s control over the country’s economy,” Malek told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Sunday.

“We will not act against our conscience, and we will extend our hands to everyone and be keen not to marginalize any faction,” he said.

Hussein Ibrahim, the FJP secretary general in Alexandria, said the party has yet to agree on who to nominate for minister positions.

“President Mohamed Morsy has the final say in rejecting or accepting any of the proposed names,” said Ibrahim.

He said all of society should participate in the formation of the Cabinet.

“No political faction, however big, can run the country’s affairs alone,” he said.

Ibrahim also discussed investment issues. He said several laws restrict investment.

“We had started to address this issue at the People’s Assembly, particularly the issue of monopoly. But the monopoly law never saw the light because of the dissolution of the People’s Assembly,” he said.

Ibrahim had served as an FJP leader in the People’s Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. A court ruling last month disbanded the assembly.

Ibrahim said that only former People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny has information about developments concerning the Supreme Constitutional Court’s decision. He said any new elections that would be held after the ruling would be free.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Brotherhood seeks to repeal military verdicts against prominent members

by admin
February 21st, 2012

The Muslim Brotherhood will take legal action to request reconsideration of military tribunal sentences issued against Khairat al-Shater, the group’s deputy guide, and Hassan Malek, a businessman member of the group, as well as five other leading Brotherhood members.

Shater and 139 other leaders of the group were arrested in December 2006 when Brotherhood students staged demonstrations at Al-Azhar University. They wore black clothes and masks similar to those worn by members of the Palestinian group Hamas and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

In 2007, former President Hosni Mubarak referred Shater and Malek to a military court by presidential decree after they were cleared on charges of money laundering and financing a banned organization (the Brotherhood) by a civilian criminal court.

In 2008 the military court jailed Shater and Malek for seven years. Twenty-three other members of the Brotherhood received various sentences. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces released them in March 2011, weeks after the fall of Mubarak.

“We seek to annul the verdicts in the case known as the ‘Al-Azhar militias’ via legal procedures before the military prosecution,” said the group’s lawyer, Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, adding that “a military court is the only body entitled to acquit the defendants.”

Abdel Maqsoud said that the group is also taking similar action with regard to five other leading members sentenced to three to five years imprisonment.

Egypt's stock market announced on Monday that it was ordered by an Egyptian court to unfreeze all the assets owned by Shater and Malek. The court order has allowed them to trade on the stock exchange.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Court orders the unfreezing of assets belonging to Brotherhood tycoons

by admin
February 20th, 2012

Egypt's stock market was ordered to unfreeze all the assets owned by two prominent businessmen affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood by an Egyptian court , state news service MENA reported on Monday.

MENA quoted sources at the stock market as saying that the head of the Court of Appeal sent a letter on 16 February to the chairman of stock market administration telling them that all verdicts against Khairat al-Shater, the deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hassan Malek, one of the top financiers and business advisors to the Brotherhood, are overturned.

In 2007, former President Hosni Mubarak referred Shater and Malek to a military court by presidential decree after they were cleared on charges of money laundering and financing a banned organization (the Brotherhood) by a civilian criminal court.

The military court in 2008 jailed Shater and Malek for seven years. Twenty-three other members of the Brotherhood received various sentences.

Shater and Malek’s assets and those owned by their wives and minor children were frozen. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces released them in March 2011 weeks after the fall of Mubarak.

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Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
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FJP expects economic crisis to continue for 2 more years

by admin
February 19th, 2012

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, expects the economic crisis to last for an additional two years said businessman and Brotherhood leader Hassan Malek at a conference Sunday.

During a conference announcing the United Nations Development program's report, “2011 Arab Development challenges,” Malek said that following the 25 January revolution, Egypt’s economy suffered from a balance of payments deficit and a budget deficit. He said that the party expects the ongoing crisis to continue for “approximately two years.”

He went on to say that during this stage, the FJP, which represents the majority in Parliament, will focus on forming a political system, drafting the constitution and forming an “elected legitimate government” that is able to “correct administrative corruption, correct the deficit, stimulate national income sources such as tourism, and find solutions to the problem of unemployment.”

“During the intermediate stage that follows, the party will focus on the country's infrastructure and on developing an education system that meets the market’s needs,” said Malek. He added that he expected this phase to continue for five years, “and then we will consider the renaissance, which could take between 20 to 30 years.”

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
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