Interpol in Madrid arrested Ali Evsen, the partner of businessman Hussein Salem, in accordance with a request from the Egyptian Justice Ministry’s Illicit Gains Authority (IGA).
He will be extradited to Egypt to stand trial for financial crimes allegedly committed with Salem.
In a statement on Sunday, Assem al-Gohary, head of the IGA, said Spanish authorities have transferred Evsen to the Spanish central court for investigation.
Egypt has challenged a Spanish constitutional court decision that postpones the extradition of Salem and his family to Egypt until his request for asylum in Spain is answered. The Spanish court has said that a representative of Egypt will be allowed to attend the hearings.
The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Salem, a close ally to former President Hosni Mubarak, and former Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmy to 15 years in prison on Thursday for their involvement in Egypt’s notorious gas deal with Israel.
Salem fled to Spain shortly after the breakout of the January 2011 revolution which ousted Mubarak.
Edited translation from MENA
