Egypt detains Mubarak-era tycoon accused of corruption

Egyptian security forces on Sunday detained a prominent businessman on fraud charges two days after freezing the assets of 16 other businessmen for alleged corruption.

Salah Diab, founder of the private Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, along with his son, were detained at their home, a local security source said.

Both face charges of embezzlement and wasting public funds, the source added.

According to the same source, Diab stands accused of purchasing vast swathes of public land at below-market prices.

The Egyptian authorities have yet to comment on the tycoon’s arrest.

The move comes two days after the authorities froze the assets of Diab and 16 other Egyptian businessmen accused of engaging in corrupt practices.

The defendants included Mahmoud al-Gammal, the father-in-law of Gamal Mubarak, the youngest son of former President Hosni Mubarak.

The elder Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades, was forced to step down by a popular uprising in early 2011.

Earlier this year, the former president and his two sons were all slapped with three-year jail terms each for corruption, while Ahmed Nazif, a Mubarak-era prime minister, was jailed for five years after being convicted of graft.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who in mid-2013 led the army to oust elected President Mohamed Morsi, has vowed to crack down on corruption.

In September, the authorities also detained former Agriculture Minister Salah Helal on fraud allegations.