Egypt's prosecution re-orders reports on alleged legal violations

Egypt's General Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud Egypt's General Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud has re-ordered reports from technical committees on alleged legal violations in gas export deals between Egypt and seven countries including Israel, according to the prosecution's spokesperson Adel Saeed. The reports may lead to further charges in the same case for which the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Hussein Salem, a close friend of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, and former Oil Minister Sameh Fahmi to 15 years in prison last June for their involvement in Egypt's notorious gas deal with Israel.
Egypt has an extradition request pending for Salem, who was arrested in Spain last June. On June 11, the Spanish High Court suspended the extradition of Salem to Egypt until his request for asylum was answered.
Prior to this, a Spanish national court had ordered the handover of Salem on the grounds that he is exploiting his Spanish nationality to evade extradition, but Salem appealed against the verdict.
Salem fled to Spain during Egypt's January uprising last year, following Mubarak's resignation. Egypt called on Interpol to arrest him for charges related to bribery, abuse of power and squandering public money. The Spanish government then found evidence implicating him in money laundering in Spain.
The new reports will address the possibility of additional violations in gas deals between the Egyptian ministry of oil and six countries in additioan to Israel.