Egypt’s state-run press smears Mohamed Ali as MB money launderer

The state-run Egypt Independent has reported that Egyptian whistleblower Mohamed Ali is money laundering for the Muslim Brotherhood.

According to the publication, Ali’s Amlak Company is co-founded with Palestinian businessman Abdel Rahman Abou Deya who runs “media outlets affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.”

“The sources clarified that such partnership is considered a money laundering activity as the company is a cover for illegitimate funding received by the Brotherhood and transacted among European capital cities.”

The Brotherhood was outlawed in Egypt shortly after General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi rose to power and anyone opposing the regime is accused of belonging to the organisation, even if they are outspoken critics of the group.

Mohamed Ali called for protests on 20 September against the Egyptian regime to mark the anniversary of last year’s demonstrations against corruption within the ruling party.

Protests have broken out in Shubra Al-Khaimah in Qalyubia governorate, Warraq in Giza, Dar Al-Salam in Fayoum Governorate and Al-Ayyat in Giza.

They also reached Suez, Kafr El Dawwar on the Nile Delta, Cairo, Alexandria and Aswan, where reports circulated online that the presidential residence had been set fire to.

READ: Protests against Sisi’s rule break out across Egypt

In response, the state-run press mobilised in support of the regime. On Sunday the Egypt Independent published an article “you are not alone,” on a hashtag on Twitter in support of the general.

Ahmad Musa, a pro-regime journalist, said that he wandered around Tahrir Square, the site of the 2011 January Revolution, and found that there were no demonstrators in what exemplified the failure of Ali’s calls.

He accused opposition TV channels of airing old videos and broadcasting the same scene but saying it was of different parts of the country.

Muhammad Al-Baz said there were no protests against the regime and that Al Jazeera’s reporting was unprofessional.

Amr Adib admitted that the protests existed, but said that they were limited.

Activists on social media responded to this coverage by calling on Egyptians to storm the Media Production City, where most Egyptian TV channels are based.