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Judge hangs himself amid corruption scandal

A senior Egyptian judge hanged himself in custody on Monday a day after his arrest in connection with an investigation into a corruption case, his lawyer said.
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A senior Egyptian judge hanged himself in custody on Monday a day after his arrest in connection with an investigation into a corruption case, his lawyer said.

A senior Egyptian judge hanged himself in custody on Monday a day after his arrest in connection with an investigation into a corruption case, his lawyer said.

Wael Shalabi, secretary general of the council of state, an administrative court, was taken in for questioning on Sunday, his lawyer Sayed el-Beheiry told AFP.

After questioning him, prosecutors ordered that he be detained for four days pending further investigation, he said.

Shalabi’s arrest came days after the Administrative Control Authority responsible for tracking corruption in state institutions arrested the council of state’s chief procurement officer, Gamal el-Labban.

The public prosecutor’s office issued a gag order on publishing details of the case shortly after news broke about Shalabi’s death.

“He faced a lot of pressure” during interrogation on Sunday when he “denied accusations that were directed at him”, Beheiry said.

“He went to the bathroom, attached his scarf to the water-heater and hung himself.

“This is negligence on their part because he was subject to psychological pressure,” the lawyer added.

An autopsy showed that Shalabi had committed suicide, and an investigation has begun, Beheiry said.

After Labban was arrested, Shalabi submitted his resignation to the council of state, and this was accepted on Saturday.

Prosecutors had also ordered Labban’s detention for four days pending an investigation.

It is rare for Egypt to investigate alleged corruption inside its judicial institutions.

Watchdog Transparency International ranks Egypt as 88th out of 168 countries on its corruption perceptions index.

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7 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    That can never happen in Naija. You can always hire Fanikayode to write a powerful article defending you or rent protesters to cause wahala. If those don’t work, hire Tompolo and his boys to blow up pipelines to force Government’to negotiate. Shikena

  • Author’s gravatar

    Our judges are shameless and less honorable

    • Author’s gravatar

      Politicians are corruptly shameless! Judges are corruptly shameless! Biz people are no exception! Pastors & all “men of gods” are even worse! Civil servants are paid-less and are corruptly bribe-dependent! Just about every sector of our existence is shamelessly corrupt. kwarraption is in our DNA. That’s why Wike would prevent Fed authorities from picking up a federal judge that wreaks of corruption. That’s why Fayoshit would park over N4 billion of Dasuki cash in a few private bank accounts and slap judges around at will. That’s why Saraki would choose to remain glued to his Senate seat even as he’s being prosecuted for crimes against the law. Naija peeps no dey care oo!

  • Author’s gravatar
  • Author’s gravatar

    But in Nigeria, the likes of Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court and Justice Ngwuta of the Supreme Court are trying to defend the indefensible in the face of overwhelming evidence of corruption against them. Just as certificate forger and perjurer Muhammadu Buhari remains our President. Majority of us Nigerians are just hardened criminals.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Nigerians never resign. The more we call God the more hardened our conscience becomes.

  • Author’s gravatar

    In Nigeria if you are not corrupt you are a mugu. Even men of god will call you cursed if you don’t ‘make it’.