Egyptian former anti-corruption chief Hisham Genena will face military trial after saying a presidential candidate he supported had documents damning to state officials, his lawyer said on Thursday.
He will stand trial on April 16 on charges of “spreading news that harms the armed forces,” his lawyer Ali Taha said.
The military had detained Genena in February following his remarks in an interview with Huffpost Arabi, the Arabic version of the US news site.
Genena’s daughter Nada Genena said that up to 30 policemen came to the family home in a Cairo suburb early in the day and took him away by car.
His wife Wafaa Kedieh, who followed the police convoy, said he was taken to the military prosecution.
In the same context, the lawyer for Egypt’s former top anti-graft official says authorities have arrested his client. The lawyer, Ali Taha, says Hesham Genena was arrested at his home in a Cairo suburb.
Genena had been a top campaign aide to Sami Anan, whom the military also detained after he announced he would stand in last month’s presidential election against incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who won overwhelmingly.
Genena had said the documents Anan allegedly possessed “revolve around political events and crises Egyptian society has passed through” since the January 2011 uprising which toppled veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak.
He said they were held in a “secure” place abroad and could be released if Anan is harmed.
Moataz Wadnan, the journalist who conducted the interview, has also been arrested.
A month before Genena’s arrest, he was beaten up shortly after the detention of Anan and accused the government of being behind his assault. His alleged assailants said his injuries were the result of a fight after a car accident.
All of Egypt’s main challengers to al-Sisi have been pulled out of the race citing intimidation of their supporters and other tactics designed to give the incumbent an easy win.
