Egypt: Former Head of Anti-corruption Watchdog Arrested

Former head of Egypt’s anti-corruption department Hisham Geneina has been arrested on Tuesday, after he claimed that former army chief of staff Sami Anan is in possession of secret documents that implicate leaders of President Fattah al-Sisi’s regime, his lawyer and his sister told the media.

Hisham Geneina, according to his lawyer Ali Taha, was arrested at his home in capital Cairo. His sister Ines confirmed the arrest in a statement to The Telegraph.

The lawyer told media that military prosecutors have decided to remand Geneina in custody for 15 days pending the completion of an investigation.

Geneina, who was sacked from in 2016 as head of Egypt’s anti-corruption watchdog, irked the military and Sisi’s regime after he revealed in an interview published Monday by HuffPost Arabi that Sami Anan holds secret documents abroad.

The documents, he said, concern all major political events and crises the Egyptian society has passed through since the January 2011 uprising. He added that the documents could be released should Anan suffer any harm.

“[Anan] has documents and evidence regarding all the major events in the country… they of course would change the course and condemn many”, he insisted.

The army threatened to take legal actions against Geneina for the allegations, claiming they jeopardize national security.

Geneina joined a group of prominent opposition figures, calling to boycott the March presidential election. Following his move, he was beaten in an attack last month in Cairo by a group of men who reportedly attempted to assassinate him.

Hisham Geneina was campaign aid to Sami Anan before the latter abruptly cancelled his presidential bid following his arrest by the army. The army accused him of breaching military rules as he announced his candidacy without prior permission from the military.

Sami Anan was the second in command of the army during the short-lived military rule following the overthrow of autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak. He was retired by democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi in a move that was viewed as way to loosen the military’s grip on the country.

The ex-general was considered most serious challenger to President Fattah al-Sisi in next month presidential polls.