Ahmed Shafik in Cairo hotel and in good health: lawyer
Lawyer Dina Adly says her client confirmed that his health is good and that he has not been subjected to investigations.
Ahmed Shafik is in Cairo and his health is “good”, his lawyer has said after meeting the former Egyptian prime minister for the first time since his arrival in the Egyptian capital on Saturday.
“I had a meeting with Shafik an hour ago at one of the hotels in New Cairo and confirmed his health,” Dina Adly wrote on Facebook on Sunday evening.
“He confirmed that his health was good and that he was not subjected to any investigations,” she added, without mentioning the name of the hotel where she met Shafik.
Shafik, who has lived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 2012 after losing the Egyptian elections to Mohamed Morsi, was arrested by Emirati authorities on Saturday and later deported, according to Adly.
His exact whereabouts and condition were unknown after landing in Egypt’s capital.
Earlier on Sunday, Bloomberg news agency reported that Shafik’s daughters accused Egyptian authorities of “kidnapping” the 76-year-old.
Amira Ahmed Shafik said in a voice recording sent to Bloomberg that her father was denied access to his lawyer and that they planned to sue the Egyptian authorities over his treatment.
Travel ‘ban’
On Wednesday, Shafik said in an exclusive video message to Al Jazeera that he had been blocked from leaving the UAE, hours after announcing plans to run in Egypt’s 2018 presidential elections.
“I was surprised to know that I am prevented from leaving the UAE, for reasons that I don’t understand and I am not willing to understand,” he said in his statement.
“I reject any intervention in Egypt’s affairs by preventing me from participating in a constitutional right and a holy mission to serve my country,” he added.
Then, on Saturday, Shafik’s lawyer said that she had not been able to speak to her client since Friday and that he had been arrested at his home in the UAE and would be deported to Egypt.
Arab Spring
Shafik was prime minister for one month in 2011, during that year’s Arab Spring uprising.
After losing the closely contested 2012 election to Morsi, Shafik fled to the UAE. He was placed on trial in absentia in Egypt and found guilty of corruption charges.
He was later acquitted, clearing a path for his potential return to his home country.
On Friday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said he sees no legal restrictions that could prevent Shafik from running in next year’s elections against current President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.
“I see no reason why he should not run. I say that as a layman. I know he’s had some issues with the judiciary. I am not sure whether those have been resolved or not,” Shoukry said in a meeting in Italy.
“But in principle, he is free to represent himself to the electorate. As in any society, it’s up to the electorate to decide.”
Shafik is not the only person planning to challenge Sisi in the presidential election. Khaled Ali, a prominent Egyptian rights lawyer, has also voiced his intent to contest the 2018 elections.