Egypt’s prosecutor-general announced on Wednesday his office will temporarily not pursue a criminal lawsuit in the case of the murder of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni due to not knowing the identity of the perpetrator of the crime.
The prosecutor-general’s office also announced it is excluding from the case the accusations directed to four police officers and a policeman in Egypt’s national security who were accused by Italy s prosecutor-general several weeks ago.
In the latest episode of “the Giulio Regeni saga," the Egyptian prosecutor-general said it is closing the case of the theft of Regeni’s belongings since the preparators were killed in a firefight with the police in March 2016, refuting the accusations in his Italian counterpart s statement.
Regeni, a 28-year-old student who was conducting his postgraduate research on the Egyptian labour movement, disappeared in Cairo on 25 January 2016, the fifth anniversary of the 2011 Revolution.
He was found dead 10 days later in a ditch on the outskirts of Cairo. Egyptian investigators said his body bore signs of torture.
In its statement on Wednesday, the Egyptian prosecutor-general said Egyptian and Italian investigation teams have held 15 meetings since the onset of investigations.
The prosecutor-general’s office revealed that Cairo made five requests to Rome concerning the investigation, some of which were not met.
According to the prosecutor-general s statement on Wednesday, the Italian prosecution-general denied the request of his Egyptian counterpart to examine Regeni’s laptop after it was taken back to Italy by his parents.
The Egyptian prosecution demanded to check witnesses’ records and statements which the Italian prosecution included in its statement accusing the five Egyptian national security personnel of torturing and killing Regeni.
However, the Italian prosecution rejected, claiming it is committed to the countries from where it received the information, despite the fact Egypt is entitled to be aware of all the information concerning the investigation, the Egyptian prosecution said.
The Egyptian prosecutor-general declared he received four requests from his Italian counterpart and didn t meet some of them, such as making available mobile phone operators’ data for five metro stations in the period before the disappearance of Regeni and after the appearance of his body.
The Egyptian prosecution also rejected to share the names of the foreigners arrested in the country on the night of the Regeni’s disappearance.
The Egyptian Prosecution office stated that it rejected both requests for technical reasons and to protect Egyptian citizens’ privacy.
Cairo also revealed that it sent requests for assistance in investigation to the UK and Kenya.
Egypt wanted to inquire from Cambridge University about the victim’s study and funding for his research. It also wanted to question a witness from Kenya who claimed he knew from an Egyptian officer how Regeni was killed.
Both requests were not met without giving reason, the Egyptian prosecution said.
On 30 November, the Egyptian and Italian prosecution issued a joint statement on the case showing both were taking different routes in the murder investigation.
The Italian prosecution intends to conclude its own investigation into the murder, which has led it to five Egyptian suspects, all of whom work in the Egyptian security apparatuses.
The suspected involvement of the five security personnel is not connected to any Egyptian governmental entity. The Italian prosecution will present its case to Rome s Preliminary Investigations judge.
However, the Egyptian prosecution said that while it appreciates the Italian legal proceedings, it has expressed its reservation about Italy’s suspicions, which it said are "not based on solid evidence.”
The Egyptian prosecution added, however, that it understands the independent decisions taken by the Italian prosecution.
