CAIRO: Head of International Law Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Valentin Zalluigr said Switzerland received a request for legal assistance from Egypt for the third time to recover money smuggled abroad by former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and others. This request was sent to the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Switzerland. The Swiss Federal public prosecutor opened a criminal investigation after these charges at Mubarak's family: "We are continuing our efforts with the Egyptian authorities and we believe the Egyptian judicial system can move to claim those assets and funds; the first request was made in August 2011 and the second in October 2011." Zalluigr made remarks to one of Switzerland's biggest news websites, Swissinfo, today December 2 that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs feels optimistic about reaching an agreement with Egypt to restore approximately U.S. $445 million in value of the assets owned by Mubarak's family and his entourage. He pointed out that Swiss law allows the return of smuggled money to be issued only after a court ruling indicates the money was obtained illegitimately. Switzerland is confident it can reach a formal legal agreement with Egypt, similar to the deal it reached with Tunisia.
