Egypt's Hosni Mubarak taken to hospital
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been taken to hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, security sources say.
Palestinian Authority largely ready to govern, UN says
The government in the West Bank is largely ready to govern a Palestinian state, the United Nations has said.
Yemeni women: 'All we can do is wait and pray'
As the political turmoil brews in Yemen, ordinary women are worrying about running their homes and caring for their families. Here, three women tell their stories. All names have been changed to protect their identity.
World Bank chief to meet Ivory Coast officials
(Reuters) - World Bank President Robert Zoellick said on Tuesday he would meet with Ivory Coast officials this week to discuss how the development lender can help the country move beyond its political crisis.
Japan mulls spinning off part of nuclear operator: report
(Reuters) - The Japanese government is considering spinning off the part of Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) that oversees the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Jiji news agency reported on Tuesday.
Syria: 'Dozens injured' in Baniyas as arrests continue
Dozens of people have been injured in clashes with security forces in the Syrian port of Baniyas, where 13 people were killed on Sunday, residents say.
Syrian forces storm town after protest say activists
(Reuters) - Syrian security forces stormed a town near the city of Banias on Tuesday, activists said, in an operation aimed at quelling unrest that has spread across the country and challenged the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.
Probes gain momentum as Mubarak claims innocence
By Ivan Watson and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, CNN
April 12, 2011 -- Updated 1523 GMT (2323 HKT)
Cairo (CNN) -- The president's men keep falling. Day after day, Egyptians wake up to news that yet another former official from Hosni Mubarak's government has been arrested on charges of corruption and abuse of power. His prime minister. His chief of staff. His ministers of tourism and housing.
During a recent court appearance, onlookers yelled "thief" at Ahmed Ezz and Ahmed el Maghrabi. The two former high-ranking Mubarak officials sat behind bars, dressed in white prison uniforms.
But to some Egyptians, that just isn't enough.
"All of these ministers you see, it is nothing!" bellows Talat Sadat, a former law-maker who was sentenced to prison in 2006 for publicly accusing Mubarak of playing a role in the assassination of his uncle Anwar Sadat. "The revolution wants the president himself! Wants his wife! His son!"
Last Friday, the revolution was back in Tahrir Square. Tens of thousands of Egyptians turned out for what may have been one of the biggest rallies since the 18 heady days of street protests that toppled Mubarak on February 11. The crowd was baying for the head of their former president.
Last Friday, the revolution was back in Tahrir Square. Tens of thousands of Egyptians turned out for what may have been one of the biggest rallies since the 18 heady days of street protests that toppled Mubarak on February 11. The crowd was baying for the head of their former president.
"I don't have any accounts outside of Egypt," Mubarak said, apparently reading from a prepared text. "The Egyptian people can be sure that their previous president only has one account inside the country in an Egyptian bank."
Within hours, Egypt's prosecutor general released a statement, assuring the public that Mubarak's denials would have no impact on his ongoing investigation into the former ruling family.
The Justice Ministry is investigating the Mubarak family's links to deadly attacks on protesters during the revolution that began on January 25. It is also looking at "issues revolving around the seizure of public finances and abuse of power to acquire commissions and benefits from different business deals."
The prosecutor's office also upped the ante, announcing it had issued a formal request for "the former president and his sons to submit to questioning."
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo recently confirmed that the U.S. government is cooperating with the Egyptian government in the search for alleged Mubarak assets hidden in the United States.
Meanwhile, Egyptian volunteers are lining up to help government investigators.
Amir Marghani recently joined what could be described as a volunteer posse of lawyers and judges determined to track down the former ruling family's money.
Calling themselves the "Egyptian Legal Committee for the Reimbursement of Egyptian Wealth," the group is trying to make sense of what it claims is Mubarak's complicated network of shell companies and offshore accounts hidden in tax havens overseas.
Marghani says while practicing corporate law in Egypt over the past 15 years, he personally witnessed the Mubarak family's abuse of power.
"A member of the ruling family wanted to assume chairmanship of a company I advise," the lawyer said. "And when the chairman would not step down, he sent certain government agencies to raid the company, confiscate documents and put the guy under investigation for seven months."
Marghani claims these mafia-like tactics crippled business growth.
"That's why many businessmen in Egypt would always want to stay below the radar, stay below a certain turn-over," Marghani added. "I don't want to employ 2,000 people, [because then] people will start to look my way and if they look my way they'll force themselves on to my business."
"In Egypt you are innocent until proven guilty," responds lawyer Samir al Shishtawi. On March 7, he says Hosni Mubarak personally called and asked Shishtawi to provide legal representation.
When Shishtawi announced this on Egyptian television, he says was flooded by death threats.
"I received threatening phone calls from many parties," Shishtawi said in an interview with CNN. "My relatives from all across Egypt came down to set-up neighborhood watches around my house to protect me."
Shishtawi says he has since been replaced by a team of lawyers from England. But he still defends the former president, pointing out Mubarak has yet to be formally charged with any crime.
If one day Mubarak or his controversial eldest son, Gamal, are ever brought to trial, even their critics fear they may not be treated fairly.
"We have a very bad grudge against those people," admits Marghany, the member of the committee investigating Mubarak family wealth. "Right now a fair trial would be very difficult ...but he should get a fair trial."
Even the men guarding the president's men seem to have little sympathy for them.
During a visit to Cairo's infamous Tora Prison, an army captain confirmed Mubarak's former prime minister Ahmed Nazif, was one of the jail's newest residents.
"Democracy," the officer added with a smile. "Justice."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Say what is on your mind, but observe the rules of debate. No foul language is allowed, no matter how anger-evoking the posted article may be.
Thank you,
TruthSeeker