On 28 July the Interior Ministry released several defendants implicated in high- profile corruption cases under new regulations covering remand-in-custody, reports Gamal Essam El-Din Abdel-Rahman Hafez, the former chairman of Media City, was released pending trial on charges of embezzlement and misuse of the Media City's funds. Youssef Abdel-Rahman, the former chairman of the Principal Bank for Development and Agricultural Credit (PBDAC) and Randa El-Shami, manager of a private pesticide company, were also released. Abdel-Rahman is charged with importing carcinogenic chemicals and pesticides. He and El-Shami have been in custody for four years. The Interior Ministry's decision to release them is in accordance with new remand-in-custody legislation passed by the People's Assembly last June. The law is viewed as a long overdue political reform reinforcing respect of human rights. The arbitrary use of the remand-in-custody law, which allowed citizens to be detained for indefinite periods of time and stripped them of any right to compensation even if later acquitted, had long been the focus of criticism. The new regulations replace remand with other options, including house arrest and requiring defendants to register at police stations on a daily basis and also oblige the prosecutor-general to give reasons for remanding citizens in custody. Defendants can now appeal against remand-in-custody decisions, which can now be taken only by the most senior prosecutors. Under the new law remand-in-custody cannot exceed six months in misdemeanour cases, or eight months in cases involving a felony. Officials in the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) argue the new regulations are the beginnings of the implementation of President Hosni Mubarak's presidential election programme.
