A European Union (EU) legal delegation arrived in Cairo on Thursday morning to gather documents and evidence concerning the involvement of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, his two sons and several former officials in the seizure of public funds and the siphoning of money out of the country. The visit follows the EU’s decision at the end of March to freeze Mubarak's assets in Europe.
Upon arrival, the legal delegation met with a large number of pubic prosecution investigators, who are continuing their investigations into former officials at the Justice Ministry.
During the meeting, the Egyptian investigators presented thousands of documents and other evidence supporting the decision to freeze the assets of those involved.
EU members revealed that Italy was the only European country to oppose the decision to immediately freeze Mubarak’s assets in Europe, and that the decision has not yet been ratified.
Meanwhile, judicial sources said that according to the EU’s procedures, in the event that any country requests the freezing of assets held in EU banks by one of its citizens, EU officials issue an order approving a temporary freeze as a preliminary step until they are assured of the legality of a more permanent freeze.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
