Egypt government resigns amid graft arrests

Cairo: The Egyptian government Saturday presented its resignation to President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi, who asked it to continue to do its duty until a new cabinet is formed, a presidential statement said.

The move comes less than a week after Minister of Agriculture, Salah Helal, was sacked and arrested for alleged involvement in a major corruption case.

Helal is Egypt’s highest-level official to be arrested for purported graft since Al Sissi, an ex-army general, took office last year.

The government’s resignation followed a meeting on Saturday between Al Sissi and Prime Minister Ebrahim Mehleb.

“The president lauded efforts of the prime minister and members of his government in undertaking their assignments,” the presidential statement added without giving further details.

Following the arrest of Helal and other officials in what the local media dubbed as the Ministry of Agriculture’s “Grand Corruption Case”, rumours circulated that other members of the government were involved in the case, claims denied by the cabinet in an official statement.