ousted president Hosni Mubarak

A judge investigating charges that former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq squandered public funds has decided to call a number of Suez Canal Authority members for questioning in the case.

Shafiq has been accused by former Wasat MP Essam Sultan of selling plots of land in the Bitter Lakes district in Ismailia to Alaa and Gamal Mubarak for less than the market value during his tenure as head of the Pilots Association in 1993.

Judicial sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Thursday that Judge Osama al-Saidi, who was tasked with investigating the complaint, summoned the Suez Canal officials and directors of the land surveying authority in Ismailia and Suez to determine the original owner of the land that was sold to the Mubaraks.

The land had been allocated to the Pilots Association when Shafiq made the sale to the Mubaraks, but sources reported that preliminary investigations indicate that the land originally belonged to the Suez Canal Authority.

Saidi has also been tasked with investigating allegations that ousted President Hosni Mubarak and former Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Youssef Wali seized large areas of land owned by the General Authority for Fish Resources Development and allocated it to the Cooperative Housing Association for Military Pilots.

Sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Saidi is investigating the charges against Shafiq and the charges against Wali and Mubarak together, and hears witness testimony on a daily basis.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

The vice chairperson of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Essam al-Erian, denied Saturday's news about negotiations with reform advocate Mohamed ElBaradei and constitution professor Hossam Eissa to preside over the cabinet if Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy became president.

The Presidential Elections Commission said it will announce the result of the runoff election on Sunday at 3 pm. However, sources said Morsy had secured more votes than his rival Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under ousted president Hosni Mubarak.

Brotherhood figure Mohamed al-Beltagy denied reports that the FJP intends to form a committee of political figures to resolve the crisis the country has been through after a military-issued complementary Constitutional Declaration last week reduced the powers of the new president and the People’s Assembly was dissolved in accordance with a Supreme Constitutional Court ruling.

Erian said that all those whom Morsy had met or will meet with “are partners facing the coup over the people’s will,” referring to the complementary constitutional declaration.

“Everyone is looking forward at the moment to the military council’s commitment to return to its barracks by end of this month and hand over powers to an elected president,” Erian added.

Erian also denied that Morsy had started talks for the selection of his prime minister, saying, “The situation is very critical. We’re still waiting for the announcement of the results. If we find an independent figure capable of running the country at this time, we will consider that they form the government.”

“The Brotherhood was fiercely criticized for making announcements about the presidential elections, so what would happen if it announced the new prime minister?” he said.

Erian warned against "deep anger" if the election is manipulated or re-run, but expressed confidence about the numbers of votes Morsy won in the runoff.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: Supreme Constitutional Court, Presidential Elections Commission, Essam al-Erian, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Ahmed Shafiq, Mohamed Morsy, the Brotherhood

Archive for ousted president Hosni Mubarak

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