Egypt's ex-tourism minister jailed for five years

Egypt’s former tourism minister, Zoheir Garranah, has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of corruption.

Garranah — the second member of ousted President Mubarak’s cabinet to be jailed for financial misconduct — was accused of handing out tourism licences illegally, according to a judicial source.

A criminal court found Garranah guilty of wasting public funds, after selling public land in Red Sea province below its market value to two businessmen, the court said in a statement. The three were fined more than US $49 million and ordered to give back the land.

Garranah sold one piece of land to a company owned by Hisham al Haziq, head of the board of directors of the Gamsha tourism development company and another strip to Damac Properties of Dubai.

"Damac Properties rejects the Egyptian court's judgement regarding the company's purchase of lands in the Red Sea resort area of Gamsha," said Niall McLoughlin, a Damac spokesman.

"There was no evidence of wrongdoing and this judgement is totally politically motivated."

The three men were fined more than 293 million Egyptian pounds (AED 181 million) and ordered to give back the land.

"Damac reiterates that these allegations levelled against the company and its chairman are baseless and we continue to refute them unreservedly," McLoughlin told reporters.

"All lands that Damac purchased in Egypt were acquired in line with government and regulatory rules and regulations prevalent at the time of acquisition.

"All allegations are totally unfounded and the company has acted with the utmost integrity in all business dealings in Egypt.”
 

More than 20 ex-ministers and businessmen linked to Mubarak’s regime have been detained since the President was ousted in February.

Egypt’s public prosecutor extended the detention of Mubarak himself by 15 days on Tuesday as an inquiry continues into abuse of public funds and the killing of protesters, the state prosecutor’s office said.

It is estimated that at least 846 civilians were killed during 18 days of street protests.

The violence continued in Cairo this week, as two days of religious clashes between Christians and Muslims left 12 people dead.

The fighting, which left more than 200 people injured and a church ravaged with fire, came following rumours that a woman had been abducted by Christians after she converted to Islam.

It is expected that up to 190 people will be tried in military courts over the incident, the army confirmed.

Hundreds of Christians have also staged a sit-in outside the television station in central Cairo calling for Muslims who had killed Copts and burned churches in recent months to be put on trial.

In the northern city of Alexandria, hundreds of Christians blocked the main coastal road to protest the Cairo violence, sparking arguments with drivers.

The clashes have been denounced by the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as the majority of Egypt’s press.