Sameh Fahmi custody pending the inquiry into the gas deal to Israel

Judicial sources said, told media on Thursday that the public prosecutor ordered the detention of former Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmi and some former senior officials in the Gaza Strip pending the investigation into the sale of natural gas to Israel, the deal is reviewed by the government.

In the same context, and approved the Attorney General for the custody of Mahmoud Latif Mahmoud Amer, vice president of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation for the processing and manufacturing of gas earlier, Hassan Mohamed Akl Vice-Chairman of the Egyptian General Petroleum production earlier, and Ismail Hamid Ismail Karara, deputy chairman of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation for planning previously, and Mohamed Ibrahim Yusuf and Chairman of Board of Directors of the Egyptian Holding Company for gas earlier, and Ibrahim Saleh Mahmoud, President of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation earlier; 15 days in the case.

A spokesman for Attorney General, advisor Adel Al-Said, The Attorney General is set businessman Hussein Salem Kamal Eddin Ibrahim and his incarceration.

The spokesman said the official, that the investigations in that case dealt with the man the procedures for negotiating with the Israeli infrastructure minister, on the export of Egyptian gas to Israel from the crime are harming the interests of the country, and the waste of public money, and enable others to achieve financial benefits, and that doing the sale and export of Egyptian gas Israel does not agree at low world prices and the time of contract and unfair contractual terms with the Egyptian side.

He added that this has damaged the public money of $ 714 million and 89 thousand and 997 U.S. dollars and 86 cents worth difference between the price that has been selling natural gas to Israel under him, and world prices prevailing at the time, and enable the accused Hussein Salem to achieve financial benefits from this contract.


Israel gets 40% of its natural gas from Egypt, under an arrangement was agreed upon after the signing of a peace agreement in 1979. The opposition groups have voiced opposition a long time that the Egyptian gas to Israel is sold at preferential prices.