Egypt: European Court of Justice lifts freezing of Mubarak family assets

The European Court of Justice on Wednesday ruled in favor of the family of former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, confirming the lifting of the freezing of their assets.

Established by the European Union after the popular uprising that led to the fall of the Mubarak regime in 2011, the sanctions consisted of freezing the assets of the former president, his wife Suzanne, their sons Alaa and Gamal as well as the wives of these Heidi Rasekh and Khadiga al-Gammal.

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In addition, nationals of EU member states and legal entities incorporated in the EU were prohibited from making funds available to such persons, either directly or indirectly.

The EU announced in March 2021 the removal of these sanctions, imposed to help the Egyptian authorities recover embezzled public funds.

The judgment handed down by the European Court of Justice on Wednesday allows the family of the former dictator to access the frozen funds again, provided that the Council of the EU does not challenge this decision.

Hosni Mubarak, forced to resign after a popular uprising in 2011, died on February 25, 2020. He had ruled Egypt with an iron fist for three decades.