Mohamed Hamouda, steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz's lawyer told Aswat Masriya that he will appeal his elimination from the parliamentary elections before the Administrative Court.
High Elections Commission (HEC) branch in Monufiya had ruled out the candidacy of Ezz, a former leader of the disbanded National Democratic Party, excluding his name from the list of candidates running for the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Sadat electoral constituency. HEC cited incomplete application documents as the reason for its decision.
HEC Spokesperson Omar Marwan said Ezz's candidacy has been ruled out, since he did not open a bank account to finance his campaign, as required by law.
Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Marwan added that Ezz had not submitted the financial statement of his wife, Shahinaz al-Naggar, whose nomination had been approved by South Cairo Court.
In a related context, Ezz said he was informed on Friday by the owner of the private TV channel Al Kahera Wal Nas that the lengthy interview he had on Wednesday with TV host Osama Kamal will not be aired. He has not been informed about the reason behind the decision.
During a talk show aired on the privately-owned channel Al Youm TV on Saturday, Ezz said, “I did not talk about myself in the interview. It was about the reasons behind my nomination for the parliamentary elections.”
He went on to say that the reason for running for elections is “to use his experience to boost the Egyptian economy,” adding that the good relations with youth and families in his constituency make him eligible to effectively represent it in the parliament. He also highlighted his legal right to run for the upcoming elections, saying that “it’s normal that [NDP] members join other parties and this doesn’t mean they seek the return of the old regime.”
Ezz, who was arguably one of the key figures of the Hosni Mubarak regime, faced charges of steel market monopoly and corruption after the January 2011 revolution. He had been spared a prison term after settling fines worth of LE100 million.
