Egypt's largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, was involved in secret political deals with the ousted regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, a former group member alleged.
Reformist member Haytham Ali, who defected on Thursday, said members of the Guidance Bureau, the group's supreme executive body, held a secret meeting with Vice President Omar Suleiman, during which they negotiated an end to their participation in the 25 January revolution in exchange for political gains.
The parlay involved permission for the previously banned group to establish its own political party, Ali said.
He also unveiled that Brotherhood leaders had engaged in similar negotiations with security authorities during the parliamentary elections of 2005, agreeing to turn a blind eye to vote rigging in return for a specific number of seats.
Dozens of Brotherhood youth have levelled sharp criticisms at members of the Guidance Bureau for what they described as a "failure to grasp the spirit of the revolution."
The group's youth want the freedom to join political parties other than the Muslim Brotherhood's proposed Freedom and Justice Party, but Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie has said that members can not join other political groups.
