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Egypt’s former minister arrested over corruption

07 April 2011 04:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Egypt’s former housing minister was arrested Wednesday on suspicion he was involved in the illegal sale of state lands for cut-rate prices, said an official of the public prosecutor’s office, APA reports quoting â€œAssociated Pressâ€.
Mohammed Ibrahim Suleiman is the latest senior member of the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak to be taken into custody.
He will be jailed for 15 days while he is interrogated on suspicions that he used his position to broker sweetheart deals, said lawyer Ali al-Hawari.
Suleiman served as minister of housing from 1993 to 2006. Critics say that during this period, state-owned lands were sold at bargain prices to businessmen close to the ruling party.
Suleiman’s successor, Ahmed Maghrabi, is also being investigated.
Al-Hawari said police also arrested prominent businessman Magdi Rasikh over suspicions that he collaborated with Suleiman to purchase public land at less than market price, leading to the loss of $100 million in public funds.
Another businessman, Alaa Abu al-Kheir was detained for interrogation by prosecutors over suspicions that he plundered $5 million from a company with the assistance of Ahmad Izz, a steel magnate and crony of the Mubarak family.
Egyptian public prosecutors have issued a series of charges and travel bans against former cronies of the ex-president since Mubarak was ousted on February 11.
That is not enough for many Egyptians, who have only become more furious as they learn the extent of alleged back-room deals that plundered their public assets. Many want more resources dedicated to investigating former top officials and bringing them to speedy trials.