CHARGES AGAINST AYMAN NOUR: ADDITIONAL DETAILS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 002285

SIPDIS

NSC STAFF FOR POUNDS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM EG
SUBJECT: CHARGES AGAINST AYMAN NOUR: ADDITIONAL DETAILS
AND REACTIONS

REF: A. CAIRO 2254


B. CAIRO 2202

Classified by ECPO Counselor John Desrocher for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) The statement of Public Prosecutor Maher Abdel
Wahed, released on March 22 when the GOE formally charged
Ghad Party leader and aspirant presidential candidate Ayman
Nour with forgery and knowingly using forged documents (ref
A),provides additional details on the GOE's case against
Nour. In the most recent issue of the Ghad party newspaper,
Nour continued his defiant and dismissive counter-attack
against the GOE (ref B). His supporters believe that the GOE
aims to end his political career. End summary.

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The GOE's Case
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2. (SBU) In his March 22 statement, Egypt's Public
Prosecutor (analogous to the U.S. Attorney General) announced
the referral of Nour (along with co-defendants Ismail
Zakariyya Abdel Latif, Ayman Ismail, Galal Lutfy El Shinawy,
Farag Shedid Abdel Hamid, Ahmad Abdel Shafi, and Mervat
Saber) to a criminal court. He also noted that they are
prohibited from foreign travel, and called for the arrest of
an unnamed additional defendant who remains at large.


3. (SBU) The Public Prosecutor said that his investigations
uncovered that one of the defendants (unnamed) had used names
on obituary lists to forge 100 proxies as part of the Ghad
Party's registration application and that the total number of
forged proxies amounted to 1,435.


4. (SBU) Abdel Wahed further said that his investigation
team had questioned 12 individuals, and had collected 40
witnesses. He noted that the prosecution started the
investigation the same day Nour's immunity was lifted for
fear that the evidence would be "lost." He added that the
prosecution also searched Nour's house the same day and his
car, which was left locked at the PA, after securing the
permission of PA Speaker Serour.


5. (SBU) The Public Prosecutor asserted that no exceptional
measures were taken in this case, and that Nour was released
before the expiration of the preventive detention period
stipulated by the court. He added that the charges leveled
against Nour are all included in the penal code and that his
being the head of a party does not make him immune to
investigation in a crime, noting that "everybody is equal
before the law." The Public Prosecutor asserted that the
investigation did not touch at all the Ghad Party itself.


6. (SBU) Abdel Wahed stated that, on searching Nour's
office, the prosecution found evidence that clearly showed
that Nour had committed the forgery, and that one of the
defendants confessed that he was ordered by Nour to set fire
to some of the proxies in the office.


7. (SBU) The prosecution charged Nour and three others with
personally - as well as with the help of others - forging
stamps and seals that belong to the GOE. All defendants
other than Nour were charged with forging official documents.
Nour himself was also charged with participating with others
in instigating, conspiring, and helping his co-defendants to
commit forgery. According to the GOE's case, Nour gave his
co-defendants a number of authentic proxies as well as money
necessary to purchase the material for the forgeries.


8. (SBU) Finally, the Public Prosecutor warned against any
attempt to use the Nour case "to incite foreign powers to
encroach on Egypt's rights and sovereignty" under the guise
of protecting human rights and democracy, stressing that this
would be unacceptable. He asserted that the rule of law is
the base of rule in Egypt and that there is no democracy
without justice and no justice without the rule of law.

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Reactions
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9. (SBU) The March 23 issue of the Ghad Party's weekly
newspaper quoted Nour's assertion that the GOE's charges are
false and the entire case is fabricated. Nour insisted that
his trial will reveal the truth. Nour argued that the GOE's
prosecution will only increase the strength of the Ghad
Party's resolve. He announced that will hold a press
conference on the evening of March 23 in Bab El Sha'riyya,
his working-class parliamentary district. Nour asserted that
the charges were partially driven by the GOE's effort to stop
him from visiting the EU parliament in Strasbourg in response
to an invitation recently addressed to him by an EU
Parliamentary delegation. The Ghad Party leadership also
announced plans to hold an emergency meeting on March 26.
The Ghad newspaper stressed that the GOE's prosecution of
Nour will not affect his plans to run for the presidency and
asserted that the Public Prosecutor's statement is further
evidence of the political nature of the GOE's prosecution of
Nour.


10. (C) Hisham Kassem (protect),Ghad Party vice president
and publisher of the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm,
told us he had been expecting the GOE to proceed with
prosecution of Nour. He thought that the GOE intended to
drag the case out. Kassem noted that Nour was determined to
run for president. Kassem said that he thought Nour
"absolutely" has a good defense team. (Comment:
Notwithstanding Kassem's confidence in Nour's lawyers, we
remain puzzled by their statements to us on March 22,
reported ref A, that Nour would be ineligible to run for
office while the case against him proceeds. Our current best
interpretation of relevant Egyptian law is that Nour is
"innocent until proven guilty" and should technically be able
to run while on trial. End comment.)


11. (C) Lawyer Negad El Bora'i (protect) told us that he
was not surprised that the GOE had brought charges against
Nour, particularly since Nour came out of prison with a
defiant public relations campaign rather than laying low for
a while. Bora'i, who said he has joined Nour's defense team,
agreed that if Nour is convicted, he will not be able to run
for parliament. Bora'i said he does not think the presidency
is the issue, but rather the prosecution is focused on
preventing Nour from returning to the People's Assembly.
According to Egyptian law on political rights, a conviction
for most crimes (including forgery) results in a convict's
loss of his political rights. "This means that he could not
take part in the 2005 elections," Bora'i continued, "and
would also be kicked out of the Ghad. If he appeals, then we
are talking about the 2010 PA elections."


12. (C) According to Bora'i, the GOE is effectively saying:
"anyone can participate in political life, but there are
limits and consequences. If you get into the game, you must
expect and accept the consequences." Bora'i continued: "This
is what is happening with Ayman and if anyone complains, the
Government's answer is: this is all done legally and you
cannot question our independent and fair judiciary. The same
applies to NGOs. They are allowed to operate, but if they
'cross the line,' a media campaign is launched against them.
If the NGOs complain, the GOE's ready answer is: this is the
free press or the people's representatives in Parliament who
are talking. The GOE has nothing to do with it."

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Comment
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13. (C) The GOE's case against Nour appears to hinge on
very technical, forensic issues. The trial, if it proceeds
as expected, will easily be the most important political
prosecution in Egypt since Saad Eddin Ibrahim's (SEI),which
ran from 2000-2003. Given the political ramifications in
this election year, the Nour case, in our view, will likely
eclipse the significance of the SEI case. End comment.


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