Mubarak-era businessman Hussein Salem, who has taken refuge in Spain since the 25 January revolution, says he has been waiting to settle some legal matters before returning back to Egypt.
Salem's lawyers had offered an initiative in 2013, during the term of MB president Mohamed Morsy to give up 50 percent of his wealth in exchange for dropping all pending cases against him.
He now says that this offer does not stand anymore, because it was not approved before the deadline.
Salem, who has been tried in absentia in Egypt over the past three years, told Al-Masry Al-Youm, “I have not presented any initiatives at all at the moment, but everything happens through the assigned lawyers.”
The tycoon's lawyers are currently offering a LE30 million to be offered to the government in exchange of reconciliation and allowing him back in Egypt. The government said it would consider all reconciliation offers without interfering in the judicial process.
Salem is facing a retrial with the former Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmy, on charges of corruption in a deal to export Egyptian gas to Israel bellow market prices, as well as other trials of bribery and squandering public money .
He called the 30 June events, “A revolution to the salvation of the Muslim Brotherhood regime,” since they used the 25 January revolution to overtake power. He also that noted he would back Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to run for presidency.
When asked about the imprisonment of ousted President Mubarak, known to have close ties with Salem, he answered, “I cannot talk about such matters, since it is in the hands of the just Egyptian judiciary.”
Rumors that Salem has remained onyl in Spain are not completely true, he says. He told Al-Masry Al-Youm he has received retreated in Zurich, Switzerland due to problems with his spine.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
