Mubarak, former officials pay off 'Ahram gifts'

Ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family pay 18 million Egyptian pounds worth of gifts they received from Al-Ahram Press and Publishing Organisation Egypt's general prosecutor has officially accepted an offer from former president Hosni Mubarak to pay LE18 million ($2.8 million) worth of gifts that he received along with member of his immediate family from the state-owned Al-Ahram Press and Publishing Organization. Those currently being investigated collectively paid off 30 million Egyptian pounds worth of gifts, Mostafa El-Husseini, the attorney-general at the Public Funds Prosecution, said on Wednesday. The offer was accepted following an initial request from Mubarak's lawyer, Farid El-Deeb, to relieve him from the current investigation being spearheaded by the Public Funds Prosecution. The Public Funds Prosecution also accepted a similar request from former prime minister Ahmed Nazif and former chief of staff Zakaria Azmy. Former PM Nazif's gifts valued up to 1.7 million Egyptian pounds ($258,160), according to a report issued by the Central Auditing Organisation. The same report stated that Mubarak's gifts alone valued up to seven million Egyptian pounds that he received in the form of jewelry, watches, ties, leather bags and belts. The Ahram gifts case also includes other officials from Mubarak's regime such as the former head of the Shura Council Safwat El-Sherif and former head of the Council of Representatives Ahmed Fathi Sorour. Former members of the Al-Ahram board of directors who gave the gifts are also being investigated. On Monday, the general prosecutor lifted a travel ban that was placed on 10 Mubarak-era officials after paying off their value of gifts received. While the current investigation looks into gifts received from Al-Ahram during 2006-2011, it could also date back to 1984 and include more officials. From Ahramonline