Egypt's captain Mohamed Aboutrika celebrates after scoring against Brazil during their men's Group C football match at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff July 26, 2012. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
CAIRO – 21 April 2018: Four main stages have affected the legal path of former international footballer Mohamed Aboutrika’s case to remove his name from Egypt’s terror list.
Aboutrika on terror list
It all started in 2015, when Aboutrika was accused of funding the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group. The committee tasked with investigating and appropriating the assets of members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood decided in May 2015 to confiscate the assets of Ashab Tours, a tourism company co-founded by Aboutrika in 2013.
In January 2017, the Cairo Criminal Court placed 1,500 defendants, including Aboutrika, on the country’s terror list for being affiliated with the Brotherhood and supporting ousted President Mohamed Morsi. Being on the list subjects him to a travel ban and asset freeze.
The official gazette published the decision
The official state gazette published the Cairo Criminal Court’s decision on January 4, 2017, mentioning that the decision will last for three years from the publishing date.
Aboutrika appeals court’s ruling
Out of 1,538 blacklisted defendants, 1,254 appealed the decision to the Court of Cassation, including Aboutrika, who submitted several appeals to overturn the court’s ruling.
According to Aboutrika’s appeal, which was filed in July 2017, the Criminal Court’s decision was issued without prior investigations, in violation of his constitutional right to a fair trial.
Appeals hearing to remove Aboutrika from terror list adjourned
Cairo's Court of Cassation adjourned the appeals hearing challenging the Criminal Court’s decision to place the former footballer and a number of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated members on the terror list until July 2, 2018.
CAIRO - 18 April 2018: Cairo's Court of Cassation adjourned hearing on appeals challenging last July's Criminal Court decision to place former footballer and a number of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated members on the terror list to July 2, 2018.
Aboutrika in Egypt soon
After the Court of Cassation’s recommendation on Monday to cancel the Criminal Court’s decision and remove Aboutrika from the terror list, Aboutrika tweeted on Tuesday that he will return to Egypt soon.
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