File Photo: Brotherhood businessman Hassan Malek (Photo: Al-Ahram)
A Cairo Criminal Court accepted on Saturday the appeal by prosecution against a court order to release the leading Brotherhood figure Hassan Malek and two others on bail pending investigation on charges of harming the economy, and renewed their detention for 45 days.
On Thursday, a criminal court had ordered the release of the well-known businessman Malek and two co-defendants in the case on EGP 20,000 bail pending trial.
Egypt's State Security Prosecution had referred Malek to trial in 2015 on charges of collecting foreign currency from the Egyptian market and transferring it outside of the country with the aim of harming the national economy, as well as financing the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.
Malek has been in jail since October 2015 pending investigations.
All of Malek’s assets have been frozen since September 2014, when the North Cairo Criminal Court upheld a decision by the prosecutor-general to freeze the assets of prominent Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
Since the 1990s, Malek has been considered one of the most prominent businessmen affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, along with his business partner and former deputy chairman of the group Khairat El-Shater, who is currently serving jail time for various convictions.
Malek’s commercial and industrial ventures include textile manufacturing, electrical supplies and furniture.
The Muslim Brotherhood was designated a terrorist organisation by the Egyptian government in November 2013.
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