21 February 2011.
The UNCAC Coalition welcomes the decision made today by Egypt’s Public Prosecutor to request a freeze on the foreign assets of Hosni Mubarak and his family. “This decision is an important step.” said Maud Pedriel-Vaissiere of the French NGO Sherpa, speaking on behalf of the UNCAC Coalition. “It will enable a full investigation of the alleged foreign wealth of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his family.”
Last week, the UNCAC Coalition had issued a press release to express its concern about the fact that Egyptian authorities had not listed any member of the Mubarak family in their request for mutual legal assistance to leading banking jurisdictions.
Today, Egyptian authorities have shown that they have heard the people, who have been calling for transparency and accountability of public officials. Their decision demonstrates that no-one is above the law. “We welcome this decision. If funds have been illicitly transferred out of the country then they can now be frozen and repatriated to the Egyptian people.” said Gillian Dell of Transparency International which acts as secretariat to the UNCAC Coalition.
The UNCAC Coalition urges all States to cooperate promptly with the Egyptian authorities, by freezing any assets taken illicitly and helping to ensure their return to Egypt.
The repatriation of assets illicitly transferred from Egypt could provide much needed funds for development in a country where 40 per cent of the population lives on less than US$ 2 a day.
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Note to Editors
The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the most comprehensive global legal framework for combating corruption. It is a binding agreement ratified by 148 states including standards and requirements for preventing, detecting, investigating and sanctioning corruption.
The UNCAC Coalition was formed in 2006 and is composed of over 240 civil society organisations in more than 100 countries. Its goal is to promote the ratification, implementation and monitoring of UNCAC.
Contacts
Engi M. El Haddad
Afro-Egyptian Human Rights Organization (AEHRO)
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Maud Perdriel
Association Sherpa
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+ 33 (0) 1 42 21 33 25
Gillian Dell
Transparency International Secretariat
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+49-30-343-82017