Ahmed Shafiq Flees Egypt to UAE amid Corruption Charges

Ahmed Shafiq, Hosni Mubarak’s last Prime Minister who just lost the presidential race to the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, fled the country for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to avoid corruption charges, several media outlets reported on Tuesday.

Bikya Masr news agency reported on Tuesday that Shafiq has fled to the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi earlier in the day.

Shafiq, who lost to Mohammed Mursi in the recent presidential race, has left Egypt, despite some 35 cases of corruption still pending in Egyptian courts.

In similar report, The Star said that Shafiq flew out of Egypt at dawn Tuesday, just hours after the country’s prosecutor general opened an investigation into allegations that he wasted public funds during his eight-year-term as a civil aviation minister under Mubarak.

Egyptian lawyers had called on the military junta to bar Shafiq from leaving the country so he could stand trial for the charges against him.

The corruption cases were first handled in military courts, but later they were transferred to the general attorney who transferred them back to the military court once again.

Rights activists see that as an attempt from the military ruling council to hold back the cases, in case Shafiq were to be found guilty.

Many cases were filed on behalf of workers at the ministry of civil aviation, accusing their former minister of financial corruption.

Shafiq, who had an iron fist over the ministry and the aviation sector in Egypt for 9 years, is accused of wasting billion of pounds of public money. Former employees accuse him of embezzling 4 billion Egyptian pounds ($800 million).

He was known for having zero tolerance for strikes and had fired many workers who attempted to do so. Several protests against him running for the presidency were held outside the Cairo International Airport to protest his candidacy and calling for the court cases to be processed.

Former Egyptian Intelligence Chief and Vice-President Omar Suleiman has also fled to the UAE.