The head of Egypt's Illicit Gain Authority Assem al-Gohary has referred former National Democratic Party General Secretary Safwat al-Sharif, along with his two sons Ashraf and Ehab, to a criminal court over ill-gained fortunes.
State-run news agency MENA said Wednesday the three are accused of making illicit gains and abusing their powers. It added that Gohary ordered the suspects to return LE300 million worth of ill-gained wealth and imposed a fine of the same amount
Sharif, one of the linchpins of the regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, served as the NDP's general secretary from 2002 until his removal during the 25 January revolution. He had also served for a period as information minister.
Sharif, along with other 23 former regime figures, is also standing trial before the Cairo Criminal Court on charges of orchestrating a bloody attack by horse and camel riders against pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir Square on 2-3 February, known as the "Battle of the Camel."
Gohary also ordered the arrest and detention of Ashraf, for whom Interpol had issued an arrest warrant.
Investigations had revealed that Ashraf owned plots of land, real estate and corporate stocks that do not match his legal sources of gain, as well as more than commercial and television production companies.
Investigations also revealed that both of Sharif's sons abused their father's influence to gain advantages with the state TV and press organizations, including advertising discounts and setting the screening schedule for commercials.
Edited translation from MENA
