Detained steel tycoon complains to EU about unfair ‘revolutionary trial’

The steel tycoon and former leading member of the now-disbanded National Democratic Party also says that his trial was a result of the success of his steel business and his becoming a prominent MP during the reign of former President Hosni Mubarak.

Currently in prison having been convicted in a corruption case, and charged in several more such cases, Ezz claims in the memo that the rulings issued against him were "political, rushed, reckless and defective" and intended to satisfy the Egyptian street.

According to Al-Shorouk, the complaint was prepared by an American law office and is titled "The collapse of the rule of law and the imposition of revolutionary justice."

 

The complaint reportedly says that revolutionaries cannot claim that Ezz is implicated in any violence perpetrated against them.

His prosecution is a flagrant violation of his right to a fair trial, the complaint adds.

"The coming months will be conclusive. If Egypt wants to make a transition to a democratic society, then justice and transparency cannot be ignored."

The memo further claims that an international monitor reported several violations in Ezz's trial.

 

In September, Giza court sentenced Ezz to 10 years in prison for illegally acquiring production licenses.