The el-Qanater el-Khaireya court postponed its review of a water contamination case until 18 February. The incident took place in the village of Baradaa in the Qalyubiya governorate and involves nine officials from the local council, the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development and a contracting company. The court said it was postponing the case in order to allow the defense team for the Implementing Body of Water Projects of the Ministry of Housing and the Arab Contractors Company to examine all the documents relevant to the case, and to inform the subcontractor Anwar el-Nabawi, who is seen by the local council as a key figure in the case. The session lasted 15 minutes and was packed with several observers and satellite broadcasters. Defense lawyer Hussein Boraei asked the court to inspect the old and new plumbing systems in Baradaa. Similarly, the defense team for the local council requested that engineer Ibrahim Mahlab or his deputy at Arab Contractors, as well as engineer Hassan Khaled, head of the Implementing Body of Water Projects and Sanitary Drainage, appear in court for questioning regarding the water networks. In addition, members from the committee established to investigate the spread of typhoid in the village were also asked to appear in court. Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud referred nine officials to trial, including the head of the Implementing Body of Water Projects, his deputy, two senior engineers at the Arab Contractors Company and five officials at the local council. The Arab Contractors Company, the Ministry of Housing and the Baradaa local council have been accused of negligence in their installation of a water system after more than 450 citizens from the village of Baradaa were infected with typhoid. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
