Published 13:09 IST, January 5th 2020
Egypt: Tax authority chief arrested on bribery charges after accepting gifts and money
Egypt's tax authority chief Abdul Azim Hussein was arrested on bribery charges. He received bribes in form of gifts.
Egypt's tax authority chief Abdul Azim Hussein was arrested on bribery charges, said public prosector's office on Saturday. Hussein was charged with receiving bribes in the form of gifts and money from chartered accountants who were found to be dealing with the tax authority. There exists incriminating recorded phone calls and meetings that allegedly prove Hussein's corruption.
Arrested for accepting bribes
Hussein's lawyers have not issued a statement as of yet. In Hussein's absence, the Deputy tax authority director Reda Abdul Kader will be acting as the head of the agency. The legal measured against Hussein were undertaken by the Supreme State Security Prosecution. Minister of Finance, Mohamed Moait in a statement said that no one is above the law and that there were no attempts at a cover-up of corruption.
Moait also gave directions to the Deputy Minister for Public Treasury Affairs Ihab Abu Aish to increase the pace of work of all national projects regarding the modernisation of the national tax system. The strengthening of the tax system would lead to better administrative and financial governance.
In September 2019, anti-government protests flared up in Egypt regarding economic austerity and allegations of official corruption and waste by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the powerful military. While Sisi has denied all allegations his regime has made great efforts to improve tax collection and curb tax evasion.
The Egyptian authorities have also tightened laws as well as launching public campaigns to encourage people to settle tax affairs. It has made great strides when it comes to improving its transparency, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Index. Egypt rose 12 places in 2018 to place 105th out of 180 countries.
In similar news, an Egyptian journalist known for his critical views of the government said on Thursday that police raided his parents' house the previous night and arrested his brother. Mohamed el-Garhy tweeted that the police came to his parents home, who live in a village northeast of Cairo, and asked his father for his whereabouts. When they were told that he was in the city, the police woke up his brother and took him instead.
In recent years, authorities have jailed dozens of Egyptian reporters and occasionally expelled some foreign journalists from the country. And when police fail to find a wanted suspect, family members and relatives have occasionally been arrested instead. Egypt remains among the world’s worst jailers of journalists, along with Turkey and China, according to The Committee to Protect Journalists, a U.S.-based watchdog.
Updated 13:09 IST, January 5th 2020