LONDON: According to local Egyptian newspaper Youm7.com, the American Ambassador to the United Kingdom has intervened to stop the arrest of Egypt's former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali after he had been sentenced in absentia by an Egyptian court on corruption charges. Louis B. Susman allegedly intervened on behalf of Ghali, who is an American citizen, to request the British government not arrest and return the embattled former minister to Egypt. Sources told Youm7.com that the US Embassy in London rejected 12 requests from Interpol to arrest Ghali. However, “Egyptian security forces admitted they did not present the complete documents regarding the former minister's case. Under British law, Ghali could be extradited in line with a treaty with Egypt if the papers were complete,” the report said. Media reports said earlier that Ghali had flown to the US and the British airport authorities questioned him for nine minutes, and then he was allowed to leave. Ghali reportedly flew to New York alone and left his family in London. In related news, the Egyptian community in London is expected to organize a protest outside the British Council of Ministries calling for both Ghali and Rashid Mohamed Rashid, Egypt's former minister of industry, extradited to Egypt. BM
