NEW AYMAN NOUR/GAMEELA ISMAIL INVESTIGATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001251 SIPDIS NSC STAFF FOR SINGH E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL EG SUBJECT: NEW AYMAN NOUR/GAMEELA ISMAIL INVESTIGATION THREATENS LATTER'S TRAVEL TO U.S. REF: CAIRO 1226 Classified by ECPO Minister Counselor Michael Corbin for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Gameela Ismail (wife of imprisoned Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour) informed Embassy early February 27 that because of a new criminal investigation of her and her husband (reftel),she might not be able to pass through exit control at Cairo International Airport in order to travel to an IRI-sponsored leadership conference in Washington March 5. In the absence of FM Aboul Gheit, (traveling with President Mubarak to Libya) Ambassador spoke on February 27 to his deputy, Chef de Cabinet Wafaa Bassim. Ambassador underlined our concern that it appeared that the GOE apparently was using the Egyptian legal system to prevent Gameela from traveling to Washington. The implications for our bilateral relations were obvious. Ambassador urged Bassim not only to register our concern with the Foreign Minister, but also to take whatever steps the MFA could take to impress the public prosecutor with the impact this new investigation would have on Egypt's international standing. Bassim promised to look into the matter immediately and to contact Aboul Gheit upon his arrival in Libya. ¶2. (C) We contacted Amir Salem (protect),the lawyer for Ayman Nour and Gameela Ismail for details on Gameela's status. According to Salem, the GOE's new investigation of the couple centers on 19 complaints against Nour and two against Ismail. Low-level NDP members and members of the police registered the complaints against Nour, which stem from various alleged violations during the presidential and parliamentary campaigns. Salem said that all of the complaints against the couple were, in his view, "silly." Salem said he was baffled by the timing of the decision to launch the new investigations against Nour. He wondered if it was connected in some way to the Secretary's visit. ¶3. (C) Regarding the investigation of Gameela Ismail, Salem said that Gameela has been summoned to appear at the prosecutor's office on March 5, as part of an investigation into charges that she assaulted a policeman who was video-taping a Ghad Party demonstration "several weeks ago" at the Journalists' Syndicate. Salem opined that Gameela's recent outspoken criticism of the GOE on BBC and Al-Arabiya may be behind the GOE's decision to investigate Gameela now. ¶4. (C) We will report further developments in this case as soon as we receive them. RICCIARDONE