The misdemeanors appeals court in Heliopolis on Monday extended the detention of Safwat al-Sherif, the former secretary general of the disbanded National Democratic Party (NDP), for 45 days.
Sherif arrived to the North Cairo Court in Abbasseya on Monday to challenge the decision. He has been detained since 10 April, pending investigations over charges of illicitly accumulating wealth.
The head of Egypt's Illicit Gains Authority (IGA), Assem al-Gohary, had ordered Sherif's detention following complaints supported by investigations and reports from monitoring authorities that found his wealth exceeded his official sources of income.
Sherif, the former speaker of Egypt's upper house, the Shura Council, faces accusations of abusing his post and building up inordinate wealth that goes beyond that included in his financial disclosure.
Many suspect his assets, represented in upscale properties and bank accounts, were acquired illegally.
Sherif has also been involved in investigations over attacks on pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir Square during the 25 January revolution.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
