Defendants in the Al-Ahram Gifts case will soon be able to travel freely, as the state takes further steps to reconcile with figures from the Mubarak regime.
The Supreme Public Funds Prosecution began procedures to remove the defendants' names from the travel ban list on Thursday. The prosecution also intends to allow them access to their liquid assets and real estate, once they pay back the value of gifts received from state-run Al-Ahram newspaper from 2006 to 2011.
Notable figures in the case include former President Hosni Mubarak, his wife and two sons, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, former Shura Council MP Safwat al-Sherif and former Chief of Presidential Staff Zakaria Azmy.
Last month, the Public Funds Prosecution approved the return of LE20 million in illegal gifts the Mubarak family received from the newspaper. It was agreed that the funds would be deducted from the account of the former president’s son, Alaa.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Public Funds Prosecution approved Gamal and Alaa Mubarak’s offer to return another LE11 million their family received in the form of expensive gifts from the state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
