A government committee charged with seizing the assets of members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood has transferred control of a private travel agency formerly owned by a popular footballer to state-owned travel company Misr Travel. Mohamed Abou-Treika failed to cooperate with the company's management and therefore was excluded from the board of directors of Ashab Tours, according to a statement by the committee. The head of the committee, Judge Mohamed Abo El-Fotouh, said that the decision came following Treika's attempt to stop the company's activity by failing to sign the necessary cheques. In May, the committee seized all assets of the renowned football player and that of an unnamed member of the Brotherhood group. According to the committee the manager of the company, Anas Mohamed Omar El-Kady, is a Brotherhood member and is currently detained pending trial in Alexandria where he is accused of committing "hostile acts against the state." The statement added that El-Kady used company funds to finance "terrorist attacks" and said the decision to confiscate the company was based on a court ruling related to his trial. Abou-Treika has petitioned against the freezing of his assets, including the tourism company, but the petition was rejected. The 36-year-old retired from professional football in 2014 after leading Egypt's most successful club Ahly to a host of domestic and continental victories, in addition to remarkable international feats. The football star supported the Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi during the 2012 election but has remained tight-lipped about his political allegiances since the ex-president's ouster in 2013. Public and private media outlets have regularly accused Abou-Treika of affiliation with the banned group.
