Former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik says he will return to Egypt to defend himself against new charges of profiteering and seizing public funds, Gamal Essam El-Din reports Presidential election runner-up Ahmed Shafik faces yet more allegations of corruption. On 30 September Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, who narrowly lost in June to Islamist candidate Mohamed Mursi, was referred to trial along with other 10 senior civil aviation. Shafik, who is currently in the UAE, has vowed he will return to Egypt to defend himself against the charges. Shafik and his co-defendants, who include former civil aviation minister Ibrahim Manna, face charges of profiteering, the misappropriation of public funds, seizing public assets and helping others to steal them. They are accused of selling ministry-owned land without calling for legally required public tenders and of allocating contracts at inflated prices, circumventing the legal requirement that ministry contracts must be subject to open bids. Investigating judge Hisham Raouf estimates that Shafik and the other defendants' actions led to the misappropriation of $7 million. "Their decisions also cost national carrier EgyptAir $9 million when two airplanes were sold to an American company at less than their market value," said Raouf. He also alleges that Shafik and other defendants pressured Cairo Airport Authority to enter into a LE405 million contract for a train -- which has yet to be installed -- to transport passengers between terminals. Raouf's report also noted that several complaints had been filed against Shafik accusing him of obtaining bribes in return for appointing officials to the Ministry of Civil Aviation but that investigations had shown "most of these complaints were unfounded". Shafik left Egypt for the UAE following his loss to Mursi in the run-off round of the presidential elections. On 11 September he was placed on Cairo Airport's watch lists after being referred to trial on separate charges involving Hosni Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, and four retired generals. A complaint filed by former Islamist MP Essam Sultan alleges that Shafik abused his positions as commander of the Egyptian Air Force and treasurer of the Cooperative Housing Association of Air Force Officers to sell a 40,000 square metre plot of land near Ismailia to Alaa and Gamal Mubarak at a fraction of its market value. According to Sultan, Shafik's reward for facilitating the corrupt deal was to be appointed minister of civil aviation. Shafik has denied all the charges, claiming they are politically motivated. On 30 September he told the CBC television channel that the charges were part of a campaign of defamation being waged against him by the Muslim Brotherhood. "The aim of these allegations is to distract me from pursuing my political battle against this group," said Shafik. "Instead of honouring me for my services to Egypt the group wants to put me behind bars." Essam Sultan, said Shafik, was a tool in the hands of Muslim Brotherhood. Shafik had earlier accused Sultan of acting as an agent for Mubarak's State Security Investigation Authority, passing on information about political figures such as Mohamed Al-Baradei. Shafik said he would return to Egypt when "the moment is right" and that he had been advised by supporters -- including controversial sociologist Saadeddin Ibrahim -- to defend himself in court. Ibrahim has accused the Muslim Brotherhood of targeting not only Shafik but many other rival politicians. The latest corruption allegations against Shafik coincided with leaks that he had held secret meetings with Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist officials during the presidential election campaign. Shafik told CBC that he had met with senior officials of the Salafist Nour Party several times, including deputy speaker of the outgoing People's Assembly Ashraf Thabet and the controversial cleric Yasser Al-Borhami. News of the meetings resulted in serious rifts within the Nour Party. Shafik also disclosed that he met Muslim Brotherhood business tycoon Hassan Malek twice during the presidential elections. "I met Malek at my home. The meeting was arranged by a member of the board of the Holding Air Company," said Shafik. He insists, however, that he never sought to win the Muslim Brotherhood's support for his presidential bid. Malek has confirmed that he met with Shafik during the presidential campaign. "I advised him to withdraw from the presidential race and told him his closeness to Mubarak had harmed his chances," says Malek. "Shafik asked me several times to seek the Muslim Brotherhood's endorsement of his election campaign and arrange meetings with them." Malek's statement resulted in denials from many Muslim Brotherhood officials who insisted they had never met with Shafik. Meanwhile, the Criminal Court is expected to begin examining the appeals of former president Hosni Mubarak and his minister of the interior Habib Al-Adli on 23 December. Both received life sentences for failing to prevent the killing of protesters during the 25 January Revolution.
