Joint statement: Egyptian, Rome prosecutions reach different scenarios in Regeni murder case

CAIRO – 30 November 2020: The Italian Public Prosecution in Rome said five persons belonging to security authorities are suspects in Italian student Giulio Regeni's murder case in Cairo in 2016, but the Egyptian prosecution sees the suspicion "baseless".

Regeni, a 28-year old doctoral researcher, disappeared early in 2016 in the Egyptian capital; he was found dead in February of the same year, with his body bearing signs of torture. The perpetrators of the crime have not yet been brought to justice despite judicial cooperation between Egypt and Italy.

The Egyptian prosecution said, in a joint statement by both prosecutions on Monday, that Regeni had been a victim of a robbery gang, saying it could find his belongings in the apartment of one of the gang’s members.

It, however, affirmed that Regeni’s murderer is still unknown to the Egyptian side.

The Rome prosecution, on the other side, decided to close the investigation after it found that five persons belonging to security authorities are suspects in the case, a finding that the Egyptian prosecution says it does not agree with.

“The Egyptian Public Prosecution, despite understanding and appreciating the Italian legal procedures. However it completely has reservations on this suspicion and does not endorse it, as it is not based on firm evidence,” read the statement.

The Egyptian prosecution says it understands the independent decisions that the Rome prosecution will take based on this finding.

According to the findings of the Egyptian prosecution, the robbery gang that victimized Regeni had committed similar crimes using fake documents claiming they are part of an Egyptian security authority.

“The Egyptian Public Prosecution will deal with that incident in this way,” the statement added.

The Egyptian prosecution noted that it will “temporarily close” investigations in the case and will assign search and investigation departments to take the required procedures to find the perpetrator of the crime.

It added that the Rome prosecution accepts the Egyptian side’s decision.

“Finally, the two sides have showed their commitment to continue judicial cooperation between each other and to submit all information that is to be reached around the incident to uncover the truth,” the statement said.

“The two prosecutions affirm that the judicial cooperation between them has been and will remain at the highest levels in all judicial fields,” the statement added.

 

Egyptian efforts

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has frequently affirmed Egypt’s continuous efforts to uncover the murderer of Regeni.

In his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Japan’s Osaka last year, Sisi affirmed his country’s keenness to reveal the truth behind the murder of the Italian student.

Sisi affirmed Egypt’s fully support to cooperation between the authorities of both countries to reveal the circumstances of the case.