Top prosecutor imposes gag order on investigation into Egypt’s Dabaa project

Egypt’s prosecutor-general imposed a gag order on Saturday that bars the media from reporting on investigations being carried out into the Dabaa nuclear power project.

A legal source said that the gag order has been imposed to ensure the integrity of investigations being carried out by the public funds prosecution; details about the charges or cases the prosecution are investigating are unclear.

In November, the Egyptian government signed an agreement with Russia to build Egypt’s first nuclear power plant at Dabaa in Marsa Matrouh governorate.

The plant, expected to be constructed at the site on the Mediterranean coast within 12 years, will consist of four nuclear power units which produce 1,200 megawatts each.

Last December, a gag order was imposed, banning reporting on the project.

According to the December order, nothing may be published about the Dabaa nuclear project in the Egyptian media without prior permission from security authorities or the office of the minister of electricity.

The December order came shortly after a meeting between President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker to discuss latest developments regarding the project, after the latter met local officials during a visit to Russia.

In 2009, the now-dissolved National Democratic Party planned to build a nuclear power plant on the Dabaa site, but the project was halted due to political turmoil. It was revived in 2013 under interim president Adly Mansour.

Source: Ahram Online