The Muslim Brotherhood said it is taking steps to re-open all the companies belonging to Brotherhood members that were closed by the government of ex-president Hosni Mubarak. In April 2008 an Egyptian military court ordered the imprisonment of various Brotherhood businessmen--along with other members--including Khairat al-Sahter, an engineer, and Hassan Malek, a businessman, who were both released three days ago. They were charged with money laundering and belonging to an outlawed group. Security bodies shut down more than 50 companies owned by Brotherhood members, a move which was seen at the time as an attempt to restrict the flow of funds to the group. Abdel Monem Maqsoud, a lawyer for the Brotherhood, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the defense team for al-Shater and Malek are currently taking steps to restore the money confiscated when they were imprisoned. Abdel Maqsoud said the confiscations were unlawful, adding that those who were involved will be sued. He did not rule out the possibility of resorting to international courts to bring people who fled the country to justice. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
