Opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei slams draft legislation that could legitimise Egyptian government acquitting jailed Mubarak-era officials, in exchange for repayment of illegally acquired funds Leading opposition figure and former presidential hopeful, Mohamed ElBaradei, voiced concerns over new draft lawwhich could see Mubarak-era figures freed and eligible for political office, following deals with the Egyptian government. The former head of the International Atomic Agency said on his twitter account Friday, "talking about reconciliation with the former regime concerning crimes of financial and political corruption is another episode of anattempt to abort the revolution." Finance Minister Momtaz El-Saeed on Tuesday revealed that the government was negotiating with the disgraced officials because many of them had offered to pay back illegally acquired money in exchange for their freedom. The minister said negotiations were underway with former senior member of Mubarak's National Democratic Party Ahmed Ezz, former tourism minister Zoheir Garana, and former housing minister Ahmed Maghraby. However, El-Saeed did not give details of the legal process under which the settlements would take place. The main charges in these cases are that public assets were sold at a price lower than their market value. A mere ten days before the country marked the first anniversary of the January 25 Revolution, ElBaradei ended his quest to become Egypt's first president in the post-Mubarak era. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/36908.aspx
