Egypt agriculture minister arrested after sacking

Cairo: Salah Helal, Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture, was arrested on Monday shortly after he was sacked from his post over corruption allegations, security sources said.

Helal, 59, was arrested minutes after he left the headquarters of the government in central Cairo following a meeting with Prime Minister Ebrahim Mahlab, the sources added.

A cabinet statement said that Helal had presented his resignation to Mehleb on “directives from President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi”.

The statement gave no details. Helal was given the ministerial portfolio in March.

Helal’s arrest was in response to a warrant issued by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which is investigating a corruption case at the Ministry of Agriculture, the semi-official newspaper Al Ahram reported.

The country’s acting chief prosecutor has ordered a media ban on reporting about the details of the case, according to the paper.

Egypt is the world’s largest importer of wheat.

In July, the agriculture ministry banned cotton imports in order, it said, to boost local production. Egypt grows a high-quality and extra long staple cotton, once known as “white gold”, but output has been shrinking for years.

“The ministry is keen on Egyptian cotton regaining its glory on all levels,” it said in announcing the ban.

Eight days later, the cabinet reversed the decision, giving no reason beyond saying that this was in the context of “developing cotton farming and supporting its farmers”.

Alarmed textile manufacturers had campaigned against the ban, which would have deprived them of cheap imported cotton.

— With inputs from agencies