By: Emily Crane
The Prosecutor General Tala’at Abdallah announced on Tuesday that he has asked the Office of International Cooperation to prepare a memorandum asking Interpol to arrest former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, according to state-run news agency Al-Ahram.
This decision comes in response to a ruling by Judge Osama Al-Saidi charging Shafiq with “seizing public money and wasting it”, Al-Ahram said. Shafiq has been accused of using his position as Civil Aviation Minister to acquire and sell 40,000 hectares of land in Ismailia for the cost of 75 piastres per square metre instead of the market price of EGP 8 per square metre.
In response to the Prosecutor General’s announcement, Shafiq told Egyptian media on Tuesday night that he was not surprised by the court’s decision or their “childish obstinacy,” according to Al-Ahram. He said he has grown accustomed to such persecution and expects it to continue until the Brotherhood has left power.
In September 2012, previous public prosecutor Mahmoud Abd El-Meguid requested that Interpol arrest Shafiq, according to El-Meguid’s office. Shafiq’s lawyer, Yehia Qadry, denied this at the time. Shafiq, who has lived in the United Arab Emirates since last year, was placed on a border watch list but there has been no effort to extradite him from the UAE.
Additional reporting by Luiz Sanchez and Ahmed Abou Enein.
