Prosecutor general leads fight to reclaim smuggled money

Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat is participating in the third session of the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery in Swiss capital Geneva, said a statement by the prosecutor’s office.

Barakat arrived in Switzerland accompanied by a high level judicial delegation, in an attempt to recover money smuggled out of the country by former Egyptian officials accused of corruption.

According to the State Information Service, Minister of Justice Mahfouz Saber and the President of Illicit Authority of Gains Youssef Othman will attend the forum. Othman said the total amount that Egypt is trying to recover from countries the smuggled money was deposited to during former president Hosni Mubarak’s regime is approximately $1.5bn.

SIS also said the Egyptian delegation is joining meetings with the concerned states to overcome obstacles Egypt is facing in its attempts to recover the money.

The Egyptian judicial authority is aiming to underline its desire to reclaim smuggled money and its rights, said the prosecutor’s statement.