Take two former ministers, a judge and a piece of government-owned land. Mix them together and you have the recipe for the latest corruption scandal, reports Karim El-Khashab In one of the biggest political scandals this year, lawyer Amir Salem has accused the high-profile judge Abdel-Salam Gomaa, and former chairman of the Administrative Control Authority Hitler Tantawi, of involvement in a complex tale of corruption. Salem is perhaps best known as the lawyer of jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour, whose trial was presided over by the same judge he is now accusing of corruption. The allegations originate with Ahmed Abdel-Fatah, an adviser to former minister of agriculture Youssef Wali. Abdel-Fatah is currently serving a jail sentence after being found guilty of accepting bribes. He has engaged Salem to represent him during his appeal against his conviction. The saga is complex and involves many twists and turns dating back to Wali's tenure as minister. His client, says Salem, was close to Wali during the period when the minister was facing intense criticism in the press, especially from Al-Shaab newspaper which had accused him of importing contaminated fertilisers. Few doubt that it was the ferocity of the press campaign against him that brought down one of Egypt's longest serving cabinet members. "It drove Wali crazy that a small newspaper like Al-Shaab could cause him so much grief," says Salem, adding that Wali was willing to do almost anything to stop the attacks. Wali filed a suit against Al-Shaab and then, according to his former adviser, the now jailed Abdel-Fatah, arranged to have Gomaa transferred from his position so that he could preside over the case. Gomaa handed custodial sentences to three journalists. His client, says Salem, possesses evidence that shows that the severity of the sentences was a result of Wali's influence. At the same time Wali was embroiled in a quite different struggle, between Tantawi and the Amal investment group, who were fighting to acquire title to a plot of government-owned land. Tantawi, says Abdel-Fatah, was keen to acquire the land in 6 October City, but was dismayed to find the Amal group wielded more influence than he did. Tantawi then contacted Wali and insisted the land should be redesignated as agricultural, thus effectively blocking any building. "Wali was unsure how to move on the issue," explains Salem. Both sides wielded considerable influence and a wrong move on his part could have been costly. Wali became engaged in frantic backroom negotiations to which, says Salem, his client was party. Abdel-Fatah revealed to his lawyer that he was sent to Tantawi by Wali to warn him that his position would be at risk if he continued to chase after the land deal. Tantawi then threatened to expose the relationship between Wali and Gomaa unless he received LE90,000 in return for dropping his interest in the land. Salem claims his client transferred the message to Gomaa who then handed him the money which was later given to Tantawi. "The charges relate directly to Hitler Tantawi and Abdel-Salam Gomaa. I am convinced from my client's testimony that Gomaa bribed Tantawi so as not to expose his relationship with the former minister." Neither Tantawi nor Gomaa would comment on the issue. The case, though, has sent shockwaves through the political establishment, involving, as it does, two high-profile officials: one, Tantawi, has been keen to build a reputation as being hard on corruption; the other, Gomaa, a judge who presided over some of the most celebrated political cases in recent years, including the trials of Nour and Saadeddin Ibrahim. Lawyer Yehia El-Gingehi, himself a veteran of many corruption cases, says the allegations do not surprise him "That there is such an intricate relationship between the judiciary, the executive and those supposed to oversee them is hardly news," he said. "Nor is it surprising that the conflict should be over government-owned real estate. But there are serious questions relating to the timing of the allegations and their source."" Abdel-Fatah, says El-Gingehi, could well be motivated by revenge as he tries to implicate those he feels had left him to face corruption charges alone. Salem says his client wants only to expose graft, and that he possesses evidence, in Wali's and Tantawi's handwriting, that supports his allegations. "One reason I am confident we are on the right track with this case is that I have started to receive threats since it was filed." On Sunday, Salem's car was broken into, though nothing was stolen. "It was a warning," he says. Whatever the truth behind the charges brought by Salem and Abdel-Fatah, they will have an uphill battle making them stick, believes El-Gingehi. "These men may have left their posts but they have a great deal of influence. And as we have already seen with Abdel-Fatah, should they be found guilty they might well resort to implicating others higher up in the feeding chain."
