All news on Mostafa El Naggar’s enforced disappearance 'false': SIS

CAIRO – 19 October 2018: The State Information Service (SIS) released a statement on Thursday regarding what is being circulated by some foreign media outlets regarding Mostafa el-Naggar, a dentist, and former Member of Parliament.

The news circulated ranged from allegations of his arrest to claims that he was involuntarily disappeared.

SIS’s statement is based on official information obtained from the competent authorities that clarified the following facts:

Dr. Mostafa Ahmed Mohammed el-Naggar was and still is a fugitive evading a 3 years prison sentence he received in case No. 478 of 2014 known as "the case of insulting the judiciary" since Dec. 30, 2017.

Through his lawyer, the defendant appealed against the verdict before the Court of Cassation, however he should have surrendered himself to the authorities to implement the ruling at least one day before the hearing of the appeal in accordance with the law.

The date of the appeal was set on Oct. 15, and the court hearing was held on time as planned, but in absentia since the aforementioned person did not turn himself in to the authorities.

Two days before the session, the defendant published a 1000-word post on his Facebook page regarding the case he was convicted in, and mentioned the possibility of his imprisonment.

After this post and the court’s decision to reject the appeal, several reports and rumors circulated in local and foreign press claiming authorities have arrested El-Naggar and/or involved in his disappearance.

After taking all the above into careful consideration, SIS stressed that all the competent authorities and agencies categorically denied Dr. Mostafa Ahmed Mohamed el-Naggar was arrested by security forces or that he turned himself in for that matter.

SIS also stressed that all the rumors and allegations of his enforced disappearance are “false” and that he is still a “fugitive” willingly evading a prison term issued against him.
Any allegations insinuating otherwise are merely baseless claims attempting to evade the implementation of a judicial ruling.