Egypt releases Brotherhood leader Hassan Malek

An Egyptian criminal court has ordered the release of Muslim Brotherhood leader Hassan Malek on 20,000 Egyptian pound ($1,103) bail, Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

The prosecution, however, can appeal against the court’s decision.

Malek was arrested at his home in October 2015 and has been detained since on charges of harming the country’s economy and financing the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood was labelled a terrorist organisation in November 2013 as part of a wider crackdown on the group that began after the coup. Civil institutions affiliated with the group have been shut down whilst thousands have been killed, imprisoned and sentenced to death.

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Malek’s business partner is deputy chairman of the Brotherhood Khairat Al-Shater, who is also in prison. In April 2012 Al-Shater was nominated as the Brotherhood’s candidate to stand as president but was later barred by SCAF on the grounds that he had not been released from prison long enough, according to election rules.

Both Malek and Al-Shater’s assets have been frozen, along with other high-profile members of the Muslim Brotherhood, since they were designated a terrorist organisation.