Egypt confiscates 1,250 acres from Qatar company

An Egyptian court yesterday ordered the expropriation of land from a Qatari land reclamation company allegedly because it manipulated Egypt’s share of well water.

The State Council rejected the request of the Doha Company for the Reclamation and Cultivation of Desert Lands to obtain a contract for acquiring 1,250 acres of land. The court accused the company of fraud by manipulating Egypt’s share of well water.

The court’s decision pointed out that the company’s actions allow for the termination of the contract, referring to the sovereignty of the Egyptian state over all its desert territory in administrative contracts.

The decision stipulated that the state take back the land that was acquired by the Qatari company at a price of 200 Egyptian pounds (around $11.3) per acre. The Qatari company was also ordered to pay all costs.

Read: Egypt imposes entry visas on Qatari citizens

The court added that the company had acquired the area in 2000.

On 5 June, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar on claims it supported terrorism and then imposed punitive measures on it. Doha denied the accusations and said it was facing a campaign of lies and fabrications.