CAIRO – "Graft law will be applied on every official that have had a hand in forging elections,abusing power or spoiling political life," Egypt's newly appointed deputy Prime Minister for Political Development and Democratic Transition Ali el-Selmi has said. The graft law was issued back in l952 to handle political corruption but has been suspended for decades. The government has thought of reactivating it as currently detained symbols of the National Democratic Party are facing charges of financial corruption. "These crimes are incomparable to the political corruption they maintained", el-Selmi remarked. "The graft law would deprive such people from running for elections and voting as well," he was quoted as saying by the independent newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm in an interview published on Wednesday. El-Semi added that the law would be applied on the ex-members of the dissolved National Democratic Party, who are detained in Tora Prison on financial corruption charges. When asked if Mubarak would be tried according to the graft law, el-Selmi said: "The current law should be amended because according to the available phrasing a minister and anyone inferior could be subject to account. However, by means of new wording, 'minister' could be replaced with 'president'", added el-Selmi, "In my opinion the aim of the law is to hold officials in office in account whatever their position. "The law will cover at least the last ten years of Mubarak's rule."
