The New Cairo Court remanded into custody former Agriculture Minister Salah Hilal on Wednesday. Hilal's media advisor, Mohi Qadh, Mohamed Fouda and businessman Ayman al-Gamil were also detained for 45 days, pending investigations into charges of taking kickbacks and gifts in exchange for allocating state-owned land to investors for less than their actual value.
Despite the Prosecutor General’s gag order, security sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the defense team met to formulate a plan which would strengthen the defendants’ position after the briber said he would confess in order to be acquitted of the charge, in accordance with the new law.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
