Egypt's SODIC names ex-regulator as new chairman

Reuters, Wednesday 16 May 2012

Real estate developer appoints country's ex-finance czar as its new non-executive head

Egyptian real estate developer SODIC appointed a new board of directors and named the country's former top financial regulator as its new non-executive chairman, it said in a statement released on Wednesday.

The political and economic turmoil after Hosni Mubarak's ouster early last year badly hurt Egypt's third-biggest listed developer, whose LE135 million ($22.4 million) profit in 2010 slid into a LE193 million loss in 2011.
 
A court ruling in March fined and sentenced the firm's former chairman Magdi Rasekh in absentia to prison over corruption charges in connection with a real estate deal. Rasekh was the father-in-law of ousted President Hosni Mubarak's eldest son Alaa.
 
The new board, elected by shareholders for a three-year term on Tuesday, immediately chose lawyer Hani Sarei-Eldin as non-executive chairman while reappointing Maher Maksoud as vice-chairman and managing director.
 
Sarei-Eldin was chairman of the Egyptian Capital Market Authority for two terms until 2007.
 
"Dr. Sarie-Eldin brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise through his legal and regulatory background and his intensive knowledge of the real estate and finance industries," the company said in a statement.
 
SODIC said in April it had several projects lined up for launch and had made progress on issues surrounding its land bank, securing a development plan from the government for a key housing project.
 
The statement gave no details of the new board's makeup.
 
SODIC shares were trading 0.5 per cent lower by midday session. 
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