ANSD : Egypt arrests ex-anti-graft chief ahead of vote

THU 25 - 4 - 2024

Date: Feb 14, 2018
Source: The Daily Star

Egypt arrests ex-anti-graft chief ahead of vote

CAIRO: Egyptian police Tuesday arrested former anti-corruption chief Hisham Genena after he suggested a presidential hopeful he campaigned for possessed damning material against state officials, his lawyer said. Genena was an aide to Sami Anan, a former military chief of staff detained after the army accused him of illegally announcing his intention to stand in the March election against President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

He was the latest candidate to be sidelined after announcing his intention to run against Sisi, a former army commander who came to power in an election after ousting his Islamist predecessor.

In an interview with HuffPost Arabi published late Monday, Genena said the documents, held at a “secure” place abroad, could be released if any harm came to Anan.

Anan himself was arrested by the military last month, days after he declared his intention to run for president. The military said he faced charges of incitement against the military and forgery. Genena said he feared for Anan’s life in detention.

Anan “has documents and evidence regarding all the major events in the country ... they of course would change the course and condemn many,” he said.

Genena’s lawyer Ali Taha told AFP police arrested Genena at his home and “are supposed to be taking him to military prosecution.”

The military responded to Genena’s interview with a statement saying it had demanded an investigation against both Genena and Anan.

Anan’s son, Samir, distanced himself from Genena’s comments. Speaking on a political talk show Monday night, he said he trusted the armed forces and claimed that his father was being treated well at the military prison where he is kept.

In 2016, Sisi sacked Genena as head of the Central Auditing Authority after accusing him of exaggerating the cost of corruption in Egypt.

The documents Anan is claimed to have possessed “revolve around political events and crises Egyptian society has passed through” since the January 2011 uprising, Genena said.

The uprising toppled veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak, with a military group led by Anan and Commander-in-Chief Hussein Tantawi assuming control of the country.

Sisi is virtually certain to win the March vote, with his only challenger an obscure politician and one of his most ardent supporters.

Moussa Mustafa Moussa entered the race in the eleventh hour, sparing Sisi the deeper embarrassment of a one-candidate election.

But the pre-election turmoil is not confined to would-be candidates. Opposition party leaders who called for a vote boycott are being investigated on allegations they are seeking to destabilize the country.

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