Egypt’s former anti-corruption chief has been referred to a military court for trial on charges of spreading false news harmful to the military establishment, his lawyer said Thursday.
Hisham Genena ran alongside former military chief-of-staff Sami Anan as a member of his short-lived presidential campaign before the latter was detained in January and accused by the army of running for office without permission, bringing his bid to a halt.
Genena was arrested and put under investigation by the military prosecutor in February over comments he had allegedly made in an interview with the HuffPost Arabi news website.
In the interview, Genena said Anan possessed documents that were damning of senior Egyptian officials. He gave no details.
Anan’s lawyer criticised Genena and wrote on his Facebook page that statements Genena made were “completely untrue”. He did not say which statements he referred to.
The former auditor was beaten up outside his home shortly after Anan’s arrest and has accused the government of being behind his assault. His alleged assailants said his injuries were the result of a fight after a car accident.
Genena’s lawyer, Ali Taha, gave no further details about the charges he faced. He is due in court on April 16. Family members say he is depressed and in poor physical condition.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was re-elected in April with 97 percent of the vote.