Egypt’s Court of Cassation overturned a previous criminal court decision that had placed retired football legend Mohammed Aboutrika and 120 other individuals on a terrorism list linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The overturned list also includes other prominent figures, including Al-Wasat Party head and former Brotherhood member Abou Elela Mady, the sons of the late Islamic preacher Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, former parliamentarian Essam Sultan, and former Cairo University Political Science professor Pakinam El-Sharqawi.
Mady, who was placed on the list in 2017, explained in an interview with Mada Masr on 18 May that the inclusion entailed a travel ban, withdrawal of his passport, seizure of assets, and a ban from running for public office.
Aboutrika and 1,528 individuals had been added to the same terror list as Mady in 2017 in a case linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt designated a terrorist organisation in 2013 following the ouster of Mohamed Morsi as President of Egypt.
The country’s Court of Cassation first overturned several names on the list in July 2018, but a separate case soon after saw another criminal court order the same individuals onto a terrorism list for five years – a decision that was upheld at the time by the Court of Cassation.
In April 2023, prosecutors sought to extend the listing of these individuals on the terror list for an additional five years, a request granted by the criminal court.
However, lawyers for the defendants appealed against the extension, leading to the overturning decision on 18 May.
Despite the court’s most recent ruling, any other potential criminal charges against the individuals on the list would not be withdrawn.
IS ABOUTRIKA SET TO RETURN TO EGYPT?
The Court of Cassation’s decision is not final, as legal procedures require a second criminal court circuit to review the cases first.
If the new circuit rules favourably, the defendants’ names, including Aboutrika, will be officially removed from the list.
Aboutrika, 45, is considered by many as Egypt’s most celebrated retired footballer. The generational talent played as an attacking midfielder and forward, captaining his country in the African Cup of Nations for a historic succession of victories in 2006, 2008, and 2010.
Since 2014, Abou-Treika has been residing in Qatar as a sports analyst for Bein Sports.
The footballer is yet to comment on the recent ruling.
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