Qatar ‘Mediator’ In Egyptian Govt-Hussein Salem Talks
The Egyptian government is currently conducting serious negotiations with the fugitive Egyptian tycoon Hussein Salem on achieving reconciliation which enables the government to get back the sum of money he profiteered over the past years parlaying his friendship with the ousted president Hosni Mubarak in return for not suing him and allowing him to running his own assets in the country.
Sources near from the businessman further told Amwal Al Ghad that top Qatari officials are mediating between the Egyptian government and Salem. The sources have ruled out that Salem’s legal adviser had met with any of the Egyptian government representatives up till now.
Sources affirmed that Ahmed Nasser bin Jassim al-Thani, Qatar’s intelligence chief, and Dr. Ali Bin Futais al-Marri, Qatar’s Attorney General and Head of Arab Forum On Asset Recovery, have mediated between the two parties given the strong relationship between Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar as well the mutual interests between Qatar and Hussein Salem.
The Qatari intelligence chief has paid several visits to Egypt in the last period as the last of which was a two-day visit on October 13th. Afterwards, Qatar’s Attorney General visited the country on October 17th where he met the two parties and offered to mediate between them. However, an agreement has not been reached yet.
The sources explained that the current negotiations provide that Hussein Salem should disclose his accounts in the foreign banks so as to regaining the funds he profited in the last years. This is in order not to litigate him; especially he hadn’t involved in killing cases. The wealth of Hussein Salem and his family, which is still in Egypt, includes EGP 2 billion insurance documents, 20 companies, 3 hotels, 25 villas, a private plane, one boat, 3 naval vessels, and 59 cars.
Last June, Cairo Criminal Court sentenced the fugitive businessman Hussein Salem and ex- minister of petroleum Sameh Fahmy 15 years over the case of exporting gas to Israel and squandering public fund, about $ 714 million, the sources said. Another verdict of 7 years was returned on Hussein Salem, his son Khaled and his daughter Magda over the illicit gains case. They were fined about EGP 4.6 billion.
