The Giza Criminal Court, headed by judge Moataz Khafaji, renewed on Sunday the detention of Muslim Brotherhood businessman Hassan Malek for 45 days on charges of harming the economy.
Malek was arrested in October 2015 on charges of withholding foreign currency to smuggle it out of the country, in order to increase the US dollar crisis. He is also accused of leading an illegal group with the intention to oppose state institutions.
The State Security Prosecution also charged Malek with organising meetings with Brotherhood members abroad in order to destabilise the Egyptian economy.
Following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, several Brotherhood members were depicted as the main cause behind several crises. A Brotherhood spokesperson previously told Daily News Egypt that the state is attempting to hide its failure by accusing “revolutionaries” of all charges.
Malek was sentenced to prison in a military trial in 2006 prior to the 25 January Revolution; however, he was pardoned and released in 2011. All his assets were unfrozen a year following the revolution as the army strengthened its relation with the Islamists who took power in 2012.
Also in 1992, Malek was sentenced to one year in prison in a corruption charge that involved his technology company.
