Steel tycoon refused application for 2015 parliament

By:Amira El-Fekki 
Daily News Egypt

The Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) found controversial steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz’s application to run in the 2015 parliament incomplete regarding financial documents on Sunday morning.

The SEC therefore refused the application for the prominent figure under former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, a move which made quickly made news headlines.

Ezz is still involved in a pending retrial in a case in which he is accused of illicit gains through a seizure of the shares of Ezz Dekheila Steel Company. He did not face any obstacles in applying due to his legal status, since he has not been charged. However, he failed to submit a bank statement, as per legal requirements.

The SEC’s conditions to apply for the elections stated that each candidate must open a bank account for the electoral money transfers, which in Ezz’s case has been frozen.

According to a 2011 prosecution order freezing Ezz’s assets, he is unable to freely manage expenses. The ban reportedly also applies to his wife Shahinaz El-Naggar, also an active politician and potential candidate for the 2015elections.

There have been no reports however regarding the refusal of El-Naggar’s application, as she is running as an independent representing the Manial and Old Cairo constituency. The Cairo district has two available parliamentary seats. El-Naggar’s electoral campaign has been ongoing mainly through a campaign promoting solving and improving citizens’ medical services.

Ezz submitted his application hoping to represent the Sadat constituency, the largest district in the governorate of Menufiya, among widespread publiccontroversy. The constituency will have one representative member in the parliament, elected as an individual, either as an independent candidate, or as part of a political party.

The Free Egyptians Party (FEP), led by business tycoon Naguib Sawiris, has vowed to escalate competition against members of the former National Democratic Party (NDP), backing up Samy El-Mashad, a 53-yar-old pharmacist.

Mahmoud Reesh, FEP’s candidate for the constituency of Menuf, the capital of Menufiya, expressed his satisfaction regarding Ezz’s rejected candidacy. He added that local residents were also happy to hear the news, in comments to Daily News Egypt on Sunday.

The party had also sought to back up candidates running against El-Naggar. An inside source previously informed Daily News Egypt, on condition of anonymity, that FEP could even back  popular singer Mostafa Kamel, if that means destabilising El-Naggar’s position.

FEP’s candidates, including senior party member Emad Gad, who joined the party ahead of the parliamentary elections, happens to be a major candidate and spokesperson for the electoral coalition “For the Love of Egypt”.

The coalition, led by former military official Sameh Seif El-Yazal is believed to be informally backed by the government, as it includes several old-regime figures and security men. It is also derived from a project initially suggested by former prime minister Kamal El-Ganzoury.

On the other hand, rivalry for that district in particular, and for Menufiya, also includes Salafi Al-Nour Party candidates, namely university professor Gehad Abdel Zaher, who represents the party’s secretariat in the Sadat district.

According to senior party member Salaah Abdel Maaboud, also a Menufiya candidate, he was also happy with Ezz’s exclusion, but said he felt positive about Al-Nour’s competition in the district, affirming that Abdel Zaher’s winning chances are high.

Ezz can file an official appeal against his rejection, as the SEC and the Administrative Court are expected to look into all appeals concerning candidates within two days from announcing the final list of accepted candidates Sunday.

“I expected that Ezz would be rejected, but that is not an issue in itself, because there has been a lot of fuss about his candidacy, despite that frankly speaking he is not the worst of corrupted politicians running for the parliament,” said AB, a citizen in Menufiya who supports the Muslim Brotherhood, and will not vote in the elections.

Reesh told Daily News Egypt that one of the candidates competing in the Sadat district represents the “hidden face of the Muslim Brotherhood”. He said that they are seeking to go back to political life, following a wide crackdown since July 2013.

Cabinet approves law allowing judges to skip witnesses

Egypt’s cabinet approved a presidential draft law amending criminal procedure code articles, allowing judges the freedom whether to summon or not witnesses to testify.

Amendments to Articles 277 and 289 of the code gives the courts absolute power in summoning witnesses to testify, without supervision, as the courts provide fair justice, according to the cabinet statement Wednesday.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) issued a statement condemning the draft law as “an addition to a big chain of laws that are excessive in wasting freedoms and citizens’ rights since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi”.

The statement compared the draft law, approved by the cabinet but yet to receive final presidential approval, together with laws such “the protest law, the judicial confiscation law, the extension of pre-trial detention periods law and the foreign defendants’ deportation law”. These list among other laws that not only antagonises freedoms but also clearly violates articles of the Egyptian Constitution.

Executive director of ANHRI, Gamal Eid, told Daily News Egypt that the government’s apparent reason for approving these amendments is to prevent prolonging lawsuits.

He also said the blame for prolonged procedures for lawsuits falls on the judiciary and prosecution, noting the case of photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, also known as Shawkan, who has so far spent more than 550 days in detention without trial.

Eid added that the new draft law “not only conflicts with the constitution and binding international agreements but it also destroys the idea of justice at its roots.”

Eid said there are two ways to counter the government’s latest move – through appealing the constitutionality of the law or waiting for a fairly representative parliament to reverse these amendments.

“The other way is political countering through pressure and exposure of such violations,” He added.

Eid believes the approval of such draft law is unprecedented, “even in more rooted autocracies we didn’t see that, not even with Saddam Hussein”.

The human rights situation in Egypt is dire, according to Nasser Amin, Head of The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) and member of the National Council on Human Rights (NCHR).

Amin added that the government should not use the “war on terrorism” as an excuse to commit human rights violations or issue exceptional laws. He explained that international standards apply, even in the midst of a war on terrorism.

Another Black night in the History of the Egyptian football

The clashes between security and Ultras White Knights resilted in the killings of more than 22 persons and many of the casualties ,before Zamalek vs Enppi football match yesterday, in the 21st week of the Egyptian league .
Zamalek fans had tried to enter yesterday game stadium "air defense" , but  security refused  because those fans didnt have tickets to the game, that was sold in designated ports.
A security source in the Interior Ministry assured , that the security follow-ups observed large numbers of ultras white knights coming air defense Stadium, to attend a football match between  Zamalek and ENPPI, without getting tickets to enter the game, and tried to storm the stadium gates by force, which called the security forces to prevent them from entering the  stadium and destroying the stadium facilities.
Zamalek club officials sent a formal letter to the football Federation , disclaims any liability for the riots which broke out from the Ultras White Knights, and the security forces outside the air defense Stadium, blaming the federation themselves.
In contrast,the football federation refused Zamalek speech , and a source confirmed at the Federation assured that Zamalek Club received 10 thousand  tickets for the match, and the fans that existed didnt reach that number  ,wondering  about the fate of the rest of the tickets, and stressing that zamalek's hiding the tickets  caused this crisis.
In the same context, the  Football federation Management, announced the postponement of Al-Ahly and Zamalek match in the league , sectors born in 95, which was scheduled to be held tomorrow, because of the events that took place between security and the White Knights as dozens were killed and injured .there is strong trends to postpone the league for unlimited time.

Peter Greste: Al-Jazeera journalist 'freed by Egypt'

Jailed al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste is being deported from Egypt, the state news agency and police say.

The Australian ex-BBC correspondent was arrested in December 2013 and imprisoned last June on charges including spreading false news.

There is no word on the two al-Jazeera men who were jailed with him, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.

All of the defendants denied the charges against them and have said their trial was a sham.

They were accused of collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood after the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by the military in 2013.

The three men said they were simply reporting the news.

Egypt's top court had in January ordered a retrial of the three men.

But an Egyptian official told Agence France-Presse news agency on Sunday: "There is a presidential decision to deport Peter Greste to Australia."

Al-Jazeera has demanded the release of its journalists ever since they were arrested.

Mr Fahmy holds Egyptian and Canadian citizenship and is the Egyptian-Canadian bureau chief.

Mr Mohamed, a producer, is an Egyptian national.

Mr Greste and Mr Fahmy were sentenced to seven years, while Mr Mohamed is serving 10.

Saudi King orders massive $29.3 billion spending

King Salman bin Abdulaziz has ordered a massive $29.3 billion (110 billion Saudi Riyals) spending in a series of decrees issued on Thursday, that include lavish payments of two months bonus salary to all Saudi state employees and a series of subsidies.

Former government employees will receive two months bonus pension, while students, people with special needs and people receiving welfare payments will also benefit from a bonus payment equivalent to two months of their annual income.

The King posted a statement later on Twitter in which he addressed his people saying: “You deserve more and whatever I do will never meet your right. I ask Allah to help me and you for the service of religion and the nations. Don't forget me in your prayers.”

Included in the handouts was $5.3 billion (20 billion riyals) pledged in subsidies for electricity, water, and housing.

King Salman succeeded his brother, the late King Abdullah, who died after a short illness last week.

And in a commitment to the arts, King Salman pledged $267,000 for each art club in the kingdom.

Egypt military targeted in deadly Sinai attacks

At least 26 people, mostly soldiers, have been killed in a series of attacks by Islamist militants in the north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula.

Most of the casualties were in the provincial capital, El-Arish.

Militant group Sinai Province, which changed its named from Ansar Beit al-Maqdis when it pledged allegiance to Islamic State, said it carried out the "extensive, simultaneous" attacks.

Egypt's president cut short a visit to Ethiopia because of the attacks.

They represent some of the worst anti-government violence in Egypt for months, and indicate a previously unseen level of co-ordination, correspondents and analysts say.

The US condemned the attacks, saying it remained "steadfast in its support of the Egyptian government's efforts to combat the threat of terrorism".

Insurgents have intensified attacks since Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted in 2013.

Tensions have also been raised across Egypt this week amid protests marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that ousted then-leader Hosni Mubarak.

Security officials said rockets were first fired at police offices, a military base and a military hotel in El-Arish, before a car bomb exploded at the rear gate of the military base. Several army checkpoints in the city were also targeted.

Newspaper al-Ahram said its El-Arish office - which is opposite the hotel and base - had been completely destroyed.

Four soldiers were wounded in an attack at a checkpoint outside El-Arish and an army major was later shot dead at a checkpoint in Rafah, medical and security sources said.

More than 50 people were wounded in Thursday's attacks.

North Sinai has been under a state of emergency and a curfew since October, when an attack on a checkpoint killed dozens of soldiers.

The army has launched major operations to try to quell violence in the region, but has so far failed.

Sinai Province has become the biggest threat, staging many attacks on security targets.

The group, which was originally inspired by al-Qaeda but pledged allegiance to Islamic State in November 2014, has called on Egyptians to rebel against President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

President Sisi is the former military chief who led the crackdown on Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has said it rejects violence.

Egypt is creating a 1km (0.6-mile) buffer zone along the border with Gaza in a bid to stop militants smuggling weapons in from the Palestinian territory using tunnels.

The project has displaced more than 1,000 families in Rafah and severed an economic lifeline for many Palestinians.

North Korea leader 'to visit Russia'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has confirmed he will attend celebrations in Russia in May marking the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said, citing a Kremlin spokesman.

The trip would mark Kim's first official foreign trip since taking power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. The celebrations would be attended by a host of world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Yonhap said the Kremlin, responding to an emailed query, said 20 leaders had confirmed their attendance so far.

According to Yonhap, the Kremlin response also noted that the confirmation process was "still ongoing" and a final list of participants had yet to be drawn up.

According to AFP, Russia only confirmed that a North Korean leader would attend the celebrations, but did not specify who yet.

If Kim Jong-un does make Moscow the destination of his first foreign trip, it would reflect a desire to reduce his country's dependence on China, which remains Pyongyang's main ally, diplomatic protector and economic safeguard. Russia is one of North Korea's few allies, along with China.

Xi Jinping and Kim have kept their distance since each assumed power and Xi's first visit as head of state to the Korean peninsula was to the capitalist South last year, rather than the North.

South Korean president invited

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has also been invited to the Moscow event, but has yet to announce whether she will attend.

Both have opposed the United Nations' call for Pyongyang to be referred to the International Criminal Court over its human rights record.

The late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited Russia in August 2011 in his personal train for a rare meeting with then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Russia is seeking to expand economic ties with North Korea and is eyeing a project worth about $25bn to overhaul the country's railway network in return for access to mineral resources.

Russia has also pushed ahead with plans for natural gas projects with North Korea in the hope of boosting gas exports to Asia and exporting coal to South Korea through an experimental consortium based in the North.