Mubarak's wife returns millions to state

AL Jazeera Middle East

Suzanne Mubarak, ex-Egyptian first lady, returns assets to the state after authorities order detention for corruption. Last Modified: 17 May 2011 00:12

The Mubarak family wealth is reported to be worth billions of dollars  [REUTERS] Suzanne Mubarak, wife of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, has returned some of her assets to the state, after anti-graft officials ordered her detention. The former first lady returned a villa in the Egyptian capital Cairo and transferred the power of attorney on Monday for authorities to withdraw up to $3.4m held in two of her bank accounts, Egyptian state news agency MENA said. The hand-over came after the state's anti-corruption agency ordered that Suzanne Mubarak be detained for 15 days for further investigation into charges that she abused her husband's power for unlawful personal gain. Judicial sources have previously said that her defence team was expected to sign documents ceding her assets in an apparent attempt to avoid detention. Her husband Hosni Mubarak was deposed on February 11 after 30 years of rule, in a popular uprising that began a month earlier. The military council which has been in power since has vowed to bring to justice all those accused of abuse and launched a sweeping probe into corruption. Mubarak, his wife, two sons Alaa and Gamal and their wives were banned from travel and their assets ordered frozen by general prosecutor Abdel Magid Mahmud. The two sons, along with dozens of officials and businessmen associated with the former regime, are being detained in Cairo's Tora prison which housed political dissidents during the Mubarak era. The illicit gains department said Mubarak and his wife would also be questioned about properties belonging to their two sons. The Mubarak family wealth is reported to total billions of dollars, including a villa in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, estimated to be worth over $36m.

Source: Agencies

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