A panel comissioned by the Egyptian government to take stock of artifacts at presidential palaces has said no pieces are missing.
Late in May, Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass ordered the formation of a panel to record the contents of presidential palaces, prompted by reports that toppled president Hosni Mubarak seized a number of pieces on leaving for Sharm al-Sheikh, where he has been residing since his ouster in February.
Archaeologists, however, remain skeptical of the integrity of the panel, especially as Hawass himself and Mubarak’s wife Suzanne are also accused of stealing antiquities.
The panel’s head, Mahmoud Abbas, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that his team is about to finish its work, and expects to submit a final report to Hawass within hours. He said the panel made an inventory of the contents of 18 presidential palaces in Cairo and Alexandria, as well as presidential residencies in Alexandria, Marsa Matrouh, Ismailia, Aswan and Cairo.
“All the contents of the palaces surveyed are typical of those listed in he ministry’s records,” Abbas said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
