Egyptian media reported the possibility of the former Egyptian Minister of Finance, Dr. Youssef Boutros Ghali, returning to Cairo after his escape to London following the revolution of January 25, 2011 until now, especially after the Cairo Criminal Court acquitted him, (Thursday), of the charge of willful damage to public money in the well-known case. In the media, “Customs Corruption”.
The court’s decision provides for dropping the charges against Ghali, after it had punished him in a previous sentence of 15 years of rigorous imprisonment, dismissed him from his job and obligated him to return 35 million and 791 thousand pounds, and a fine equal to the value of this amount.
On his return, Ghaly said in statements reported by Egyptian websites, yesterday (Friday), that he would return to Egypt as soon as possible, explaining that he had waited for the acquittal verdict regarding the cases in which he was accused for more than 12 years.
He added: I will return to Egypt as an ordinary citizen who has nothing to do with public work, explaining that he has been Minister of Finance for 20 years, and this is enough for him to enjoy the rest of his life in a quiet life away from public work.
With regard to participating in consultations related to the government financial sector in Egypt, if you request its assistance in some files, the former minister replied, saying: “I will not be late for Egypt if I am asked to do so, but I prefer to stay away from public political work.”
The journalist, Amr Adib, announced Ghali’s return to Egypt after his innocence in the “Customs Corruption” case, stressing that the former minister had sent him a letter informing him of his return.
He added: A testimony of truth that I saw more than once in London, pointing out that the minister had to work so that he could live.
For his part, writer and political thinker Dr. Moustafa El-Feki stated that it is possible to benefit from Boutros-Ghali’s experiences in his presence as an advisor to the Egyptian state for economic affairs, and to manage relations with international economic organizations, as he is an internationally known name and many countries consult and deal with him, in addition to his strong support for the economy. The Egyptian government in the future, and there will be no embarrassment in seeking help from the Egyptian government and state, because the issues that were against him were not issues of dishonor, and he was neither a traitor nor a thief.
Al-Fiqi added: Boutros-Ghali, Mahmoud Mohieldin, Muhammad Al-Arian and Adel Al-Labban must be benefited from. These are names we know well, as they are great economists, and the country must benefit from them in such circumstances.
