Egypt To Extradite Two Libyan Officials Arrested In Cairo

Egyptian Prosecutor-General Talaat Abdullah has ordered the extradition of two Gaddafi-era Libyan officials arrested in Cairo last week.

The men will be handed over to Egyptian Interpol in preparation for their extradition to Libya.

The move is part of a prisoner swap deal under which Egypt is expected to trade four members of the Muammar Gaddafi regime for Egyptians detained in Libya.

Ali Maria, former Libyan ambassador to Egypt, and Mohamed Ibrahim, brother of former Libyan information minister Moussa Ibrahim, were arrested in Cairo on Tuesday.

Maria handed himself in at his residence in Sheikh Ziyad, on the outskirts of Cairo, after three hours of negotiations with Egyptian security forces.

The extradition order does not include Ahmed Gadhaf Al-Dam, a close aide and cousin of the former Libyan ruler, who was arrested in Cairo on the same day as Maria and Ibrahim, public prosecution spokesperson Mustafa Dawood has said.

Investigations into Maria and Ibrahim had met the necessary legal requirements for their extradition, Dawood confirmed.

Maria and Ibrahim were arrested in Cairo last week on charges of profiteering whilst in office after an official request by the Libyan authorities.

Ahram