The Ministry of Religious Endowments denied reports of its involvement in the case of torture victim Talaat Shebib, in an official statement on Sunday.
Shebib died, allegedly due to torture, in a detention facility in Luxor a few hours after being arrested. His sister told private newspaper Tahrir that the family has been facing pressures to drop their lawsuit against the authorities following his death.
She also alleged that Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Goma’a asked them to drop the case in return for EGP 1m, which the ministry denied.
In December 2015, four police officers and five policemen were referred to the Criminal Court for killing and torturing a citizen in Luxor police station. The case dates back to November 2015 when Shebib, 47, was arrested for the possession of Tramadol, a drug usually used recreationally by many Egyptians.
The Qena Criminal Court will resumes Monday the trial of 13 policemen in the case, including four officers accused of killing Shebib.
