Egypt has formally requested Spain to extradite Mohamed Ali, a former construction contractor whose corruption allegations sparked mass protests across Egypt in September 2019. Ali, who has been living in Barcelona for over a year, appeared before a Spanish judge on 9 July to face the extradition request.
The Egyptian prosecutor's office accuses Ali of defrauding €7.6 million (£6.9 million) through three cases of fraudulent real-estate sales and one case of money-laundering. Ali insists the charges are politically motivated, claiming they are a pretext to silence his criticism of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's regime.
Ali gained prominence through a series of online videos exposing alleged corruption and lavish lifestyles within the Egyptian government and military. His broadcasts, based on his 15 years of work on major development projects, drew large audiences and led to rare street protests, during which up to 3,000 people were arrested.
In February, an Egyptian court sentenced Ali in absentia to five years in prison for tax evasion and ordered him to pay approximately $250,000 (£200,000) in back taxes. The Spanish government does not allow extradition on political grounds, but Egypt maintains that Ali is wanted for tax fraud between 2006 and 2018.
Judge José de la Mata did not order Ali's immediate arrest, a potentially encouraging sign for the dissident. A further hearing is scheduled in 45 days. Ali has not sought political asylum in Spain and is receiving legal assistance due to limited resources.
