Nagdy al-Shafei, director of the Interpol in Egypt, said on Sunday that Hussein Salem, the Egyptian business tycoon who fled to Spain, will be tried there.
Shafei explained that Spain recognizes the principle of “universal jurisdiction”, which permits its authorities to try criminal suspects even if they allegedly committed their crimes outside of Spain.
Meanwhile, sources said the Spanish judiciary would in the next few days examine the documents that Salem presented to obtain Spanish nationality. Since Spanish law prohibits dual nationalities, it seems possible that the documents were fraudulent.
They also said the Spanish authorities would consider the Egyptian government’s request to extradite Salem only if they were assured that he would not be punished for his alleged crimes with a more severe punishment than that stated under Spanish law, and that he would not be mistreated during questioning or imprisonment.
They added that Salem would first have to be tried for alleged money laundering in Spain before extradition, which would take a long time, especially since the Spanish judiciary acts independent of political pressures.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
