The Spanish Embassy in Cairo is not involved in negotiations to extradite the fugitive business tycoon Hussein Salem, says embassy source. Discussions are underway between judicial authorities in Egypt and Spain via the Interpol, the source added Salem is a close confidante of Mubarak who fled the country on February 3. The Interpol had issued an arrest warrant for him last month and he was finally arrested on Wednesday in his villa in Majorca in Spain. Salem is expected to stand trial in Egypt on charges of corruption and money laundering. Earlier today it was reported that the Spanish authorities have frozen $45 million in his account and seized real estate valued at $14 million in Madrid and Marbella, a major resort on the Costa del Sol. It was also reported that the Spanish authorities are considering extraditing Salem despite the fact that he has Spanish citizenship. Salem is a partner in the East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG), which has supplied Israel with natural gas since June 2008.
