CAIRO: Assistant Justice Minister for Graft Affairs Assem El-Gohary remanded ex-interior minister Habib El-Adly in custody for 15 days pending investigation into new corruption charges, lawyer Essam El-Battawy told Daily News Egypt Monday. The graft, or illicit gains, authority prosecutor interrogated on Sunday El-Adly from 7 pm to 1 am accusing him of illicit gains by exploiting his ministerial position, El-Battawy, representing El-Adly, added. During interrogation, the prosecutor faced El-Adly with reports prepared by the administrative monitoring authority and the public funds investigations revealing the wealth and possessions he had acquired which do not commensurate with his income as a public official. According to El-Battawy, El-Adly denied the accusations saying they were based on unconfirmed reports, not documented evidence. “El-Adly voluntarily singed an official approval to investigate his accounts and assets in Egypt and abroad, after he had presented documents indicating his actual, legitimately acquired wealth,” El-Battawy said. Earlier reports said El-Adly owned 44 real estate properties including villas, palaces, apartments and pieces of lands. “This is untrue. Some of these possessions do not even exist, while others belong to his three daughters married to men of rich families,” El-Battawy said. On May 5, El-Adly was sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of money laundering and unlawful acquisition of public funds, the first convicted official of the regime of former Hosni Mubarak, overthrown on Feb. 11. El-Battawy said he would seek an appeal after the court releases the verdict justifications within 60 days of the ruling. El-Adly is facing two other trials for his involvement in killing protesters during the January 25 Revolution and the illegal profiteering related to importing overpriced car registration plates. Former prime minister Ahmed Nazif and ex-finance minister Youssef Botrous Ghali, currently outside the country, were also involved in the number plates case. On Tuesday, a court will look into the graft authority's decision of denying El-Adly's family the right to use their funds and assets. El-Battawy refuted published reports about El-Adly being married to a German wife saying he is only married to journalist Elham Sharshar. “El-Adly denied this fact, saying there were neither witnesses to this alleged marriage nor documents proving it,” El-Battawy said. “El-Adly also asked me to take to court any journalist circulating this false news about having a German wife … and ignore whatever news published about any charges against him,” El-Battawy added.
