The whereabouts of Egyptian ex-high minister and presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafik remain unclear after his reported arrival in Egypt on Saturday evening.
In step with his lawyer, Shafik became arrested in the United Arab Emirates earlier on Saturday and deported to Cairo after he no longer too prolonged ago announced plans to urge for president in the 2018 elections.
Upon landing in the Egyptian capital, Shafik hasty left to an unknown destination, an airport legit talked about.
Witnesses talked about he left the airport in a Mercedes nonetheless it undoubtedly became unclear where he became headed or who became riding the car.
Pronounce-urge Al-Ahram newspaper cited an unnamed offer as asserting that Shafik had checked actual into a hotel.
‘Kidnapped’
On the opposite hand, Bloomberg info agency reported that Shafik’s daughters accused Egyptian authorities of « kidnapping » the Seventy six-year-historical.
Amira Ahmed Shafik talked about in a speak recording sent to Bloomberg that her father became denied entry to his lawyer and that they deliberate to sue the Egyptian authorities over his treatment.
Shafik became high minister for one month in 2011, at some level of that year’s Arab Spring riot.
After shedding the carefully contested 2012 election to Mohamed Morsi, Shafik fled to the UAE. He became placed on trial in absentia in Egypt and came upon responsible of corruption costs.
He became later acquitted, clearing his route for a doubtless return to Egypt.
The stories about Shafik’s arrival in Cairo got here after his lawyer, Dina Adly, talked about on Facebook that her consumer had been arrested at his dwelling in the UAE and may possibly presumably presumably be deported to Egypt.
Adly additionally talked about in her submit that all lines of communication with Shafik had been shut down since Friday.
Moreover on Saturday, the UAE’s enlighten info agency talked about that Shafik became heading to Cairo, while his family stayed at the serve of.
Video message
On Wednesday, Shafik talked about in an unfamiliar video message to Al Jazeera that he had been blocked from leaving the UAE, hours after asserting plans to urge in Egypt’s 2018 election in opposition to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
« I became stunned to bear in mind the truth that I’m averted from leaving the UAE, for causes that I invent no longer heed and I’m no longer prepared to achieve, » he talked about in his assertion.
« I reject any intervention in Egypt’s affairs by combating me from taking part in a constitutional appropriate and a holy mission to serve my country, » added Shafik.
« I name on the UAE leaders to present an clarification for the lifting of any restrictions on my ability to glide back and forth. »
The UAE’s Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash later spoke back in a series of tweets, asserting there became « no obstacle » to Shafik’s departure from the UAE.
« (Shafik) took refuge in the UAE and ran a long way from Egypt after the outcomes of the 2012 presidential election. We offered him with every facility and marvelous hospitality despite our severe reservations about some of his positions, » Gargash talked about.
Sahar Aziz, an affiliate professor of Legislation at Texas A&M University, talked about it became likely that there became some truth to Shafik’s claim that he became barred from leaving the UAE.
« He clearly has been deported. Presumably, the clarification why he became deported became in retaliation for his claim that he became barred from departing from the UAE for France – he wished to switch on a European time out where he became going to be campaigning among the many Egyptian diaspora, and then presumably head to Egypt, » Aziz suggested Al Jazeera.
« I invent no longer mediate that he would salvage one of these astronomical political likelihood of insulting his hosts of over 5 years, who successfully gave him refuge while he became going thru criminal costs in Egypt. He wouldn’t operate something devour that publicly on Al Jazeera if there wasn’t some truth to it. I mediate he doubtlessly became kept, nonetheless now he’s going to pay a greater trace, » she added.
On Friday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry talked about he sees no licensed restrictions that will presumably presumably also terminate Shafik from working in subsequent year’s elections in opposition to Sisi.
« I leer no clarification why he must no longer urge. I pronounce that as a layman. I do know he’s had some disorders with the judiciary. I’m unsure whether or no longer those grasp been resolved or no longer, » Shoukry talked about in a assembly in Italy.
« Nonetheless in precept, he’s free to symbolize himself to the electorate. As in any society, or no longer it’s up to the electorate to rob. »
Shafik is no longer the most efficient person planning to challenge Sisi in the presidential election. Khaled Ali, a prominent Egyptian rights lawyer, has additionally voiced his intent to contest the 2018 elections.
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