The Justice Ministry’s Illicit Gain Authority has already received 10 requests for financial settlement since it opened the door to returning illegally obtained assets in exchange for dropping legal procedures.
According to judicial sources, representatives for businessmen and state officials involved in illicit gain cases filed requests for settlement, which could yield approximately LE10 million for the state. The sources added that the authority will compare the fund applicants' offer to the actual money owed it has calculated.
Fugitive and Spain-based businessman Hussein Salem has said that he has not made any new steps toward financial reconcilement with the Egyptian government as part of the new measure announced by the Justice Ministry.
Salem, who fled the country after the 2011 uprising and stood trial for financial corruption, said that he offered former premier Ibrahim Mehleb to 57 percent of his wealth (LE4.6 billion) in May, but received no reply. He said that since he had been acquitted by the judiciary of corruption charges, his offer is, therefore, a donation rather than a bid for reconciliation.
