Egypt’s anti-corruption czar in eye of storm

CAIRO

The head of Egypt’s anti-corruption authority has been under heavy criticism over his statements that government corruption has cost the Arab country billions of pounds.

Last month, Hisham Geneina, the head of the Central Auditing Organization (CAO), said that corruption from 2012 to 2015 has cost Egypt up to 600 billion pounds.

But earlier this month, a fact-finding commission, formed by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, accused Geneina of falsifying information and distorting facts.

The panel said that the CAO chief’s statements were “misleading” and “lacked credibility.”

Sisi ordered a copy of the panel’s report to be sent to parliament for scrutiny, amid calls from pro-government media and lawmakers for sacking the CAO chief.

Constitutional law professor Salah Fawzi believes that the CAO chief faces three possible scenarios.

“The issue is either closed or referred to the prosecution,” he said. “The parliament could also ask the president to relieve Geneina from his duties.”

Geneina was appointed by former President Mohamed Morsi in 2012 before the military coup. He serves a term of four years, which is expected to end in September.

Illegal move

Ali Taha, a lawyer for the anti-corruption chief, said that Geneina will remain in his post until the end of his term.

“CAO laws immunize Geneina [against being sacked] and any move to remove him from his post will be illegal,” Taha told Anadolu Agency.

He said that many lawsuits have been filed against the anti-corruption chief.

“Geneina, however, remains silent to all these accusations in order not to [lose focus] of combating corruption,” he said.

Taha said the CAO chief has no political affiliation and “is not playing politics.”

“The war is raging against Geneina due to his fight against corruption,” he added.

Political analyst Hassan Nafaa agrees that the CAO is not looking for a “political role.”

“Geneina enjoys a great popularity due to his role in exposing corruption and due to the regime’s position against him, which causes the regime to lose its popularity,” Nafaa said.

Egypt ranked 94th out of 175 countries on Transparency International’s 2014 corruption perceptions index.

Corruption was one of the main grievances that triggered mass streets protests in 2011 that led to the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.