Mounir Thabet was arrested Monday following the issue of a warrant by the Illicit Gains Authority. Meanwhile his son was prevented from flying to Dubai last week, after being placed on a no-fly list.
The authority started auditing Thabet following his arrest and he will remain in custody for 15 days.
Thabet, the brother of former President Hosny Mubarak’s wife Suzanne, is accused of abusing his power to illicitly obtain numerous companies and land in Cairo and other cities, reported state-owned Al-Ahram. He is also accused of seizing public money.
According to the oversight bodies’ investigation, Thabet illegally accumulated vast wealth, which was stored in bank accounts in Egypt and abroad, or tied up in aviation, investment firms, villas and apartments. Thabet has denied the charges, reported Al-Ahram, claiming that none of his wealth was obtained illegally.
Thabet’s son was prevented from leaving Egypt on Thursday after airport security found his name on a no-fly list, reported state-owned news agency MENA. He was headed for Dubai.
Thabet is Suzanne’s oldest brother and, according to Al-Ahram, facilitated her marriage to the former president. Following his retirement from the air force, he entered business in 1982; one year after Mubarak became president.
