Egypt's customs authority
Egypt's Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadiq has ordered the detention of the head of Egypt's customs authority, Gamal Abdel-Azim, for four days pending investigations into charges of receiving bribes and dereliction of duty.
The prosecution have begun investigations into the charges, which include allegations Abdel-Azim received bribes in exchange for violating his duties and facilitating the entry of prohibited goods into the country without the payment of the required customs duties.
The prosecution have also ordered the detention for four days of an individual accused of bribing Abdel-Azim, and the mediator between the pair.
According to an earlier statement by the prosecution, Abdel-Azim had directed his subordinates to issue fake reports to reduce the fines on goods that had been seized in several smuggling cases.
The country’s anti-corruption authorities have been waging a campaign targeting high-level graft in recent years.
Authorities arrested the governor of the Nile Delta province of Menoufiya in January, and the deputy governor of Alexandria in August, both on corruption allegations.
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