Corruption in Egypt is considered a criminal act. Two agencies under the authority of the Cabinet of Ministers--the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) and the Illicit Gain Office (IGO)--oversee enforcement of corruption laws in the public sector. In the private sector, there are two types of corruption cases. Commercial disputes are subject to international commercial law and Law 27 of 1994. The district attorney’s office and the civil courts adjudicate civil cases. The ACA and IGO may intervene when corruption occurs in the private sector if public money and the public interest are involved. Egypt is not a signatory of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery. While U.S. firms occasionally report corruption by lower-level government officials, they do not identify corruption as a major obstacle to foreign investment. Transparency International ranked Egypt 70th out of 133 surveyed countries in its 2003 survey on perceptions of corruption. High-profile corruption cases since 2002 have resulted in lengthy trials, and convictions in some instances, for several former government officials, including a former Minister of Finance, former head of the Customs Authority, and the former Governor of Giza Province. Several businessmen and prominent bankers also have been charged (and some convicted) for alleged corruption related to non-payment of loans. |
