Head of Egypt's Customs Authority Arrested on Bribery Charges

Head of Egypt’s Customs Authority Gamal Abdelazim was arrested on charges of receiving a bribe, according to Egypt Independent.

He reportedly received a bribe of EGP 1 million from an Egyptian textile importer, in exchange for easing the usually lengthy customs releasing procedure.

Also, in a statement by Egypt’s highest anti-graft agency, it was said that “the head of the customs authority had directed his subordinates to issue fake reports to reduce fines for goods that had been seized in several cases related to smuggling".

Last year, president Abdel Fatah El Sisi declared war on corruption, stating that “Corruption breaks people’s morale, and gives them a feeling that there is no hope”. This is not the first high-profile case of corruption; in 2016, Egypt’s former agriculture minister Salah El Din Mahmoud Helal was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined EGP 1 million for taking bribes in return for land licenses.

Main image from Egyptian Streets