Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Egyptian government plans to control Brotherhood finances | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A man walks past graffiti depicting ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (R) and the Deputy Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Khairat Al-Shater in downtown Cairo on September 24, 2013. The Arabic words read, “Liar project – Deluded citizen”. (REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)


A man walks past graffiti depicting ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (R) and the Deputy Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Khairat Al-Shater in downtown Cairo on September 24, 2013. The Arabic words read, "Liar project - Deluded citizen". (REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

A man walks past graffiti depicting ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (R) and the Deputy Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Khairat Al-Shater in downtown Cairo on September 24, 2013. The Arabic words read, “Liar project – Deluded citizen”. (REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Egyptian government yesterday announced its plans to form a committee to manage the funds and estates of the Muslim Brotherhood. Legal sources said there were plans to form committees to ban the Brotherhood from running for parliament. This comes a day after a ruling was issued by a Cairo court which banned the activities of the Brotherhood and its affiliates and also ordered the confiscation of its estates and funds. Meanwhile, the government said it has postponed the decision to disband the Muslim Brotherhood.

The government said it would “form an independent committee to manage the funds, estate, and holdings which have been placed under financial, administrative and legal control, until a definitive court ruling is issued against the group and its members regarding the criminal charges related to national security.” In a statement issued on Wednesday, the government added that it would begin “implementing procedures as soon as it officially receives the order from the court.”

On the disbanding of the Brotherhood, the government reiterated what it said on Tuesday that “as a sign of respect for the judicial authority and the rule of law, the government will not make any decision until a definitive court ruling has been issued on the matter.”

Meanwhile, lawyer Mahmud Abdullah, who was behind the “urgent” ruling by the court to ban the Brotherhood’s activities, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “urgent rulings have to be implemented urgently and they must be implemented even if they were appealed against.”

He added that the ruling of the court stipulated “the banning of the activities of the Brotherhood organization and all affiliated groups,” and therefore “all these people have no right to practice political activity or run in the next People’s Assembly elections.” He further added that “we are forming legal committees in every Preliminary Court division around the country, consisting of lawyers and other legal professionals, to monitor any Brotherhood members who may plan to run in the elections.”

Abdullah answered critics of the banning of any group in Egyptian society from engaging in political activity, by saying: “This talk comes from the United States, under the banner of human rights. We have our own private circumstances and we practice our freedoms. We are for the right to protest as long as the protestors say what they want. Members of this organization vandalize, block roads and reject anyone who disagrees with them. This is harassment.”

Abdullah denied rumors that he had received threats from Islamists after the issuing of the court ruling. He said: “This is untrue, although some people advised me to be careful, but to be honest, so far, I have not received any threats.”

In the meantime, the Strong Egypt party, led by former Muslim Brotherhood leading figure Abdel Moneim Aboul-Fotouh, responded yesterday to media reports about meetings with Muslim Brotherhood members planning to join the party, saying: “These are unfounded rumors which aim to damage the party which has clear and firm stances that are fundamentally different from the Brotherhood’s way.”