By Sarah Daoud
CAIRO: Egypt’s Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud issued a travel ban for a handful of former ministers as well as a prominent member of the ruling National Democratic Party.
The bank accounts and assets of those barred from leaving the country have also been frozen, according to reports.
Ex-interior minister Habib El-Adly, former housing minister Ahmed El-Maghrabi and former tourism minister Zoheir Garannah are among those banned from travel.
Protestors previously demanded for El-Adly to be removed from office after witnessing the police beat, teargas and fire rubber bullets at demonstrators calling for the president to step down.
Along with the past ministers, steel tycoon and prominent NDP member Ahmed Ezz has also been included in those not allowed to leave the country. Ezz resigned from the party shortly after protests commenced last week.
The prosecutor’s decision was taken as a precautionary step after receiving many complaints, such as theft of public money, profiteering and fraud.
In a statement issued, it was said that other officials not specified were also under the ban which would last “until national security is restored and the authorities and monitoring bodies have completed their investigations.”
Also among those banned is former trade minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid, who had not been formally notified and found out the news on TV while in Dubai. Some have come out in support of Rachid, with one Facebook group created titled “Rachid is an innocent person.”
While discussing the matter with Al Arabiya television, Rachid stated “I am a man who served my country for six and a half years and believe I have done all my duties. I am ready to confront anyone, I have no problem, but someone please tell me what is going on and what the accusation against me is.”
“If they thought I had done something wrong, why did they want me to join the new ministry…why did they let me travel?” he said while explaining that he had been asked to join the new cabinet and decline the position.
He also said that he had notified the authorities prior to leaving the country.
Central Bank of Egypt Governor Farouk El-Okdah, in a statement on Egyptian television Saturday, denied all reports that companies or businessmen transferred large amounts of money to banks abroad before or during the crisis.
He labeled the events occurring in Egypt as a “political crisis” and said that “god willing the crisis would not affect the Egyptian economy severely.”
In a country with a population of over 80 million and 40 percent living in poverty, it has been recently reported by international media that Mubarak’s family net worth is estimated to range from $40 to $70 billion. –Additional reporting by Amr Ramadan
