Directors of Egyptian Museum Referred to Trial

[Winged Isis]

Directors of Egyptian Museum referred to trial over failure to carry out museum development

Al-Masry Al-Youm
March 18, 2018
2:58 pm


Head of the Administrative Prosecution Authority (APA) Feriyal Qotb on Sunday referred the former and current directors of the Egyptian Museum to an urgent trial over their alleged failure to develop the museum’s basement in spite of receiving an estimated LE10.5 million sum to implement the project.

The APA received a report from the Supreme Council of Antiquities and attached a report by the Central Auditing Organization (CAO) concerning claimed irregularities in the development project.

Investigations into the case have already begun with prosecutors having heard testimonies of officials from the Antiquities Ministry and the architect of the museum, who all acknowledged that the artifacts contained in the basement should have been evacuated to make way for its development.

The witnesses said that it was imperative for the successive directors of the Egyptian Museum during the contract period to put in place a timetable to evacuate the basement, in whole or in part, to enable development work as stipulated under the contract.

The contract maintained that the museum administration agreed to partially empty the basement in order to make way for the agreed upon renovations. However, investigations revealed that not more than 40 percent of the renovations have been completed.

The investigation also revealed that the suspects should have addressed the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities to inform him of the plan of the evacuation in order for the project to be implemented.


http://www.egyptindependent.com/directo ... velopment/

[newcastle]

Being subject to criminal prosecution for administrative cock-ups opens up a whole can of worms ....and not just in the museum.

It will be interesting to see how long the prosecution proceeds before it is swept under the carpet.

[Hafiz]

I've read it three times and still can't work out what the 'story'. Is it theft, bribery, incompetence, waste, breach of contract or insubordination. I wouldn't be surprised if the players are also fuzzy about precisely what offense has allegedly been committed. What seems somewhat clear is that the full amount has been paid for a half job. In that context the builder might have committed an offense.

With all this mess the striking point no person has been charged with a specific offense therefore its odd that this story was put out at such an early stage.

Aiming it at Directors and senior people may be more about institutional or state politics than appears. As Newcastle implied stuff ups and worse are an epidemic in Egypt so taking these people on and in the media could lead anywhere including 7 years of stuff ups in Sinai The near zero financial result with the canal after the extra $9.5 billion is another.

A small point. There is an Administrative Prosecution Authority. Does that mean there are other special prosecutions services for employment/function/geography - are there dozens or scores and is this the tip of the usual Egypt bureaucracy - complexity, overlap and duplication achieving nothing except confusion and lots of jobs. Most other places try to keep their systems consolidated, simple and clear which often helps with co-ordination and getting the job done.