Egyptian minister announces number of imprisoned debtors eligible for presidential pardon

CAIRO – 27 April 2022: Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine al-Qabaj stated Wednesday that a list of 700 debtors has been prepared so they would be released from prison by a presidential pardon.

The minister noted that the selection was restricted to those who got loans to pay for essentials, and not just for unnecessary consumption.  She added that 250 of those will even regain their freedom before Eid Al Fitr.

Qabaj underlined that the pardoned defaulters will be granted monetary subsidies, and offered safe ways to acquire loans so they would not fall victims of individuals, who charge very high interests on the funding they provide, again.  

The minister of social solidarity also highlighted that grants will be given to low-income citizens who seek to marry for the first time, and those who need medical treatment but cannot afford it.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi directed the government to earlier in April to make a list of debtors in prisons in preparation for the release of a batch of them ahead of Eid Al-Fitr celebrations due to be May 1, 2022.

President Sisi directs were given on Saturday during a meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa Mabdouli, Minister of Social Solidarity Nevin El Qabbaj, said Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady in a statement.

The meeting has tackled the government’s efforts to eliminate the phenomenon of debtors, in light of the presidential initiative “Egypt without Debtors,” Rady said.

The term “debts” is applied to women/men who resorted to borrowing money to help their families improve economic conditions, and overcome poverty; they were unable to pay back on time, which led them to lay behind bars for long periods, according to a study issued by the Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies in March 2021.

The initiative was established under the direction of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2018, and the Long Live Egypt Fund paid special attention to this issue, working on: social support, health care, economic empowerment, and education and training support for those groups most in need.