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Gamal Mubarak declares victory over corruption charges

The son of Egyptian president and dictator Hosni Mubarak has declared victory after over a decade of fighting corruption charges.

May 18, 2022 at 1:18 pm

In statements released yesterday, Gamal Mubarak said attempts to prosecute his family have failed both within Egypt and in Europe. This, he added, demonstrates their innocence. He did not, however, explain how is family amassed their wealth. In April, Swiss federal prosecutors dropped an 11-year investigation into suspected money laundering by Egyptians related to the Arab Spring uprisings, including Gamal and his brother.

The original suspects, most of whom held official or important economic positions in Egypt, were thought to have used Switzerland to launder the proceeds of corrupt acts. This came after a leak from one of the world’s biggest private banks, Credit Suisse, revealed that it opened accounts for clients involved in torture and corruption including from the Middle East and kept them open even after details of their crimes were made public. Listed are former dictator Hosni Mubarak’s sons, Alaa and Gamal, who opened a joint account in 1993 – one of six accounts in total – which had a $196 million balance in 2003.

READ: Ex-Egypt President Mubarak’s cronies had millions in Swiss bank, reveals Credit Suisse leak

Four years later, following the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak, Mubarak, Alaa and Gamal were convicted of squandering 125 million Egyptian pounds ($7.8 million) of state money so they could renovate their homes. The two brothers were sentenced to four years in prison and the former dictator to three.

“The facts have now been established, and the false allegations have been unequivocally rebutted. The historical record has thus been independently and judicially corrected,” Gamal said in a video statement released on YouTube. He blamed Egyptian judicial authorities for taking the issue to international courts. Anti-corruption campaigners condemned the decision to drop processions against the Mubarak family saying it will show corrupt leaders they can act with impunity. Transparency International claims $70 billion of public funds were embezzled abroad by Mubarak.