Corruption panel to quiz former president's son Gamal
Egypt’s military rulers said Tuesday they will form a panel to investigate the wealth of former president Hosni Mubarak as part of a sweeping probe into corruption, the official MENA agency reported.
"The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued a decision Tuesday to form a judicial committee to begin investigations into the wealth of former president Hosni Mubarak and his family," MENA reported.
Mubarak, his wife Suzanne and his two sons Alaa and Gamal and their wives have already been banned from travel and their assets ordered frozen by general prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud.
Another panel formed to uncover illicit gains acquired during the rule of Mubarak, will next week question his younger son about corruption, MENA said.
The same panel will also question the former presidential chief Zakareyah Azmy on Thursday, accoring to MENA.
The agency did not say where Gamal, once seen as a leading candidate to take over from his father, would be questioned by the panel, which was set up last week as part of an anti-graft campaign targeting figures from Mubarak’s era.
Gamal Mubarak held a leading post in Egypt’s former ruling party. A widely-held belief that he was being groomed for the presidency helped galvanize opposition that toppled him.
The judiciary has banned several ministers, officials and members of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party from leaving the country pending further investigations.
Some of them are currently on trial on charges of corruption.
Mubarak, who was forced out of power on Feb. 11 following almost three weeks of anti-government demonstrations, handed power to a military council that pledged to bring to justice all those found guilty of abuse.
Egypt’s new rulers faced calls for tougher measures against figures from his administration.
Reformists have also demanded steps to recover former officials’ assets frozen by foreign governments.
On Friday, thousands of Egyptians demonstrated in central Cairo demanding that Mubarak and his top officials be put on trial and accusing them of corruption and illegal profiteering.