Egypt

Facing criticism, Sabbahi defends meeting with top prosecutor

Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi said he met with the public prosecutor last week to discuss the grievances of private citizens and not for any political motivation.

The Popular Current Party founder, who finished third in presidential elections this year, has been under fire for convening with Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud.

The Public Prosecution led by Mahmoud has been the object of public outrage since six former Interior Ministry officials were exonerated in June of killing revolution protesters in a trial alongside former President Hosni Mubarak.

"My visit to the public prosecutor did not discuss public issues, but rather cases involving two Baltim citizens," he told satellite channel Misr 25 in a phone call Tuesday. Baltim is a city in the Nile Delta governorate Kafr al-Sheikh.  

One incident, he said, concerns Popular Current member Mansour al-Shehawy, who was allegedly denied access to the province's governor and chased by police dogs, while the other involves a citizen allegedly abused by police officers.

"That was not for political purposes, it was rather my relations with Baltim citizens that prompted me to demand their rights," Sabbahi said.

Demonstrators have protested the prosecution's failure to gather sufficient evidence for convictions of former officials and demanded Mahmoud's removal. Those calls were reiterated after several top officials from Mubarak's now-dissolved National Democratic Party were also acquitted of killing protesters in the infamous February 2011 Battle of the Camel.  

In October, President Mohamed Morsy tried to appoint Mahmoud ambassador to the Vatican, but the latter refused the new post and said he would maintain his office because the president does not have the authority to remove judicial officials.

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