The Egyptian community in Spain is planning protests on 16 and 19 January in front of the National Court of Spain as the court reviews Egypt’s request to extradite businessman Hussein Salem and his son and daughter.
The protests will call for the handover of Magda and Khaled and their father, who fled to Spain during Egypt's 25 January revolution, and for the return of smuggled Egyptian funds.
Leaders of the Egyptian community in Spain have submitted an official request to meet with the Spanish justice minister to communicate their demands regarding Egyptian funds smuggled into Spain.
At the meeting, they will also ask for the implementation of the Spanish cabinet's recommendation that Salem and his offspring be handed over to Egypt if judicial rulings are issued to that end.
On Thursday, a senior Egyptian Justice Ministry official said that on 9 February the Spanish judiciary will consider the request to extradite Salem.
Salem is being tried in absentia for corruption, in a case in which ex-president Hosni Mubarak and others are implicated.
Assem al-Gohary, assistant justice minister for illicit gains and the head of the judicial committee responsible for restoring smuggled funds, said the Spanish judiciary will also review two other cases that demand the handover of Salem, who was a close friend of Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt’s Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud had referred Salem for trial for profiteering and squandering millions of dollars in a natural gas deal with Israel.
Mubarak and his sons are accused of abusing their positions to obtain four villas in Sharm el-Sheikh under false names, and allowing Salem to take a 4 million square meter plot of land south of Sharm el-Sheikh.
