New Corruption Charges Against Ousted President Hosni Mubarak

Egypt’s minister of justice began Saturday investigating fresh corruption charges against ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his ex-housing minister, Ibrahim Soliman.

Mubarak and Soliman are accused of squandering public funds worth LE2 billion through facilitating for a company the takeover of a 3,000 km2 plot of land near the Cairo-Ismailia road supervised by the General Authority for Rehabilitation Projects and Agricultural Development.

Investigators have ordered that Soliman be summoned for questioning on the company’s takeover of the land. Mubarak is expected to be summoned soon for questioning over a presidential decree from 1995 illegally granting the company an extra area of land.

Mubarak, who was arrested in April 2011, is currently facing retrial on the killing of peaceful protesters during the January 25 Revolution in addition to another two cases based on financial corruption charges.

Meanwhile, Soliman is being retried for squandering public funds.

Ahram