Egypt To Sue UK Treasury On Mubarak’s Assets Repatriation Failure

The Egyptian Ministry of Justice has decided to sue the UK Treasury for failing to reveal information necessary for the repatriation of nearly £90 million in assets linked to former president Hosni Mubarak.

The Egyptian government’s decision to sue the UK Treasury is aimed at forcing Britain to act more cooperatively with regard to negotiations over the recovery of Egypt’s frozen assets in Britain.

“The Ministry of Justice has filed a lawsuit in the UK’s high administrative court against the UK Treasury with the purpose of getting a judicial order to oblige it to reveal the information needed to repatriate the frozen assets,” said Assem Al-Gohary, Egypt’s assistant minister of justice.

The Egyptian government has maintained that litigation is its last resort after Britain announced in December last year that it would not be possible for it to reveal information about the frozen assets. 

Egyptian authorities have said Britain’s decision is in breach of the UN Treaty against Corruption and an EU regulation targeting assets, accounts, and properties of 19 Egyptians including Mubarak and his family members. 

This comes as British Prime Minister David Cameron claimed that Britain would support the Egyptian people after he paid a visit to Egypt’s Tahrir Square as the first world leader after Mubarak’s ouster. 

However, Ahram Online reported that Britain has refused to reveal the information saying it would violate national laws including the Data Protection Act and Account Confidentially Act.