's accounts -- and those of his children -- have been frozen by the Illicit Gains Authority (IGA), Gamal Essam El-Din reports Former presidential candidate , currently in the United Arab Emirates, this week moved to defend himself following new accusations of graft and illegal profiteering. On Sunday the Illicit Gains Authority (IGA) ordered a freeze on the bank accounts of Shafik and his three daughters "due to an inexplicable increase in their wealth". Yehia Galal, the IGA's newly-appointed chairman, also ordered that the names of Shafik's three daughters join their father on Cairo International Airport's watch list pending further investigation into the source of their wealth. Shafik reacted by filing an appeal against attempts to disclose details of his bank accounts. The appeal was upheld on Monday by Cairo's Appeal Court. "The investigation initiated by the IGA into Shafik's wealth has not been corroborated with sufficient documents," says Shafik's lawyer Shawki Al-Sayed, a former MP. "Recent moves by the IGA are politically motivated, an attempt to settle scores after Shafik narrowly lost to Islamist Mohamed Morsi in the presidential election." "The IGA," says Al-Sayed, "ordered the freeze on Shafik's assets without summoning him for investigation or even listening to his defence." IGA officials say they have spent two months investigating the sources of Shafik's wealth and cite reports by a number of "supervisory agencies" confirming that "his wealth grew immensely as he exploited his job as minister of aviation�ê� to secure huge banking assets both inside Egypt and abroad, obtain plots of land and real estate in upmarket districts in Cairo and Alexandria." Shafik points out that as a candidate in Egypt's presidential election, "my financial position was heavily scrutinised and no wrongdoing was found" and discounts the IGA's accusations as an attempt to tarnish his image and undermine his political career. On Monday Shafik instructed his lawyer to file a complaint with Prosecutor-General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud with the aim of opening an inquiry into the results of the presidential election run-off of 16 and 17 June. In his petition Shafik claims election irregularities in the run-off were so serious that the poll should be reheld. "A lot of voting cards were printed by the state-owned Ameriya press in favour of Morsi, and thousands of Copts in Upper Egypt were prevented from voting," said the complaint. It also cited the Jimmy Carter Centre complaining that "systematic rigging of votes was committed on a large-scale in favour of ascertain candidate". Shafik also asked that the press conference held by Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood supporters on 17 June, hours after the polls closed, be investigated. "During the conference they unilaterally announced the results in violation of all regulations," reads Shafik's complaint. It also alleges "most of these grave irregularities were not seriously investigated, and nor were the malicious accusations which Shafik faced during the election campaign." Shafik has repeatedly claimed "high-ranking state officials" informed him that he had won the election after securing 14,972,215 votes. A number of officials close to Shafik believe the recent accusations against him are politically motivated. Last week saw the opening of the trial in which Shafik is accused of helping president Hosni Mubarak's sons Alaa and Gamal obtain 40,000 square metres of land near Ismailia at a fraction of their market value. Shafik approved the land deal in 1992 when he was a member of the board of the Association of Air Pilots. The trial will resume on 18 November. On 2 December Shafik's name will appear alongside 10 former civil aviation officials in a separate case involving charges of graft, misappropriation of public funds, and forcing a number of state ministries to donate money to a private institution led by Suzanne Mubarak set up to promote the construction of gardens. An investigative judge is also examining complaints filed against Shafik accusing him of exploiting his position as chair of the Association of Air Pilots to help his daughters and Mubarak's sons acquire chalets and villas on the Mediterranean Coast at enormous discounts. On Sunday IGA chairman Yehia Galal also announced a freeze on the assets of two media moguls: Ibrahim Nafie, chairman of Al-Ahram Press Organisation from 1978 to 2005, and Samir Ragab, the former chairman of Al-Tahrir Press Organisation. Galal also froze assets and bank accounts belonging to Hassan Hamdi, chairman of Ahli Sporting Club and onetime head of advertising at Al-Ahram; Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, the former editor of Al-Gomhuriya and Gamal Abdel-Aziz, president Mubarak's longtime personal secretary. Cairo's Appeals Court gave the green light on Monday for details of the bank accounts of all the above to be disclosed. "It is clear the appointment of a new IGA chairman has speeded up moves aimed at tightening the screws on the wealth of former Mubarak regime officials," Cairo University professor of law Hossam Eissa told Al-Ahram Weekly. "This could be a sop to placate public opinion, but should the IGA mess up its investigations into the wealth of these officials the tactic will backfire and inflame the public."
