Egypt set to refer building violators to military prosecution: Minister

Ahram Online , Sunday 12 Apr 2020

The campaign comes few days after the prime minister said building violations in Egypt would be referred to military prosecutors under the current emergency law

Gazzar
Egyptian Minister of Housing Asem El-Gazzar (Photo: Al-Ahram)

Egypt will refer building violators to military prosecution as the state continues to crack down on building violations in the country, Housing Minister Assem El-Gazzar announced.

El-Gazzar said the removal of illegal buildings comes under strict orders by the president and prime minister to deal firmly with building violations, according to a statement by the housing ministry.

The minister said the 6 October City Council has carried out two campaigns to remove building violations in the city.

Around three illegal garages built on state land have been removed in the city, the statement said, adding that a number of encroachments related to building additional floors illegally have also been removed after the violators exploited “exceptional circumstances” amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The intensified campaign comes a few days after Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that building violations in Egypt would be referred to military prosecutors under the current emergency law.

There are no recent figures about the extent of building violations in the country; however, a report by the local development ministry in 2018 set the number of violations at over 2 million violations between the years 2000 and 2017.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified a law earlier this year introducing an amnesty on building violations and giving those convicted the opportunity for settlement with the state.

The new law puts an end to court battles over construction violations while also helping bring in revenues to overcome problems created by building violations and to maintain arable land. 

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