Egyptian authorities on Thursday froze the assets of actor-rapper Mohamed Ramadan as legal proceedings continue in a lawsuit filed by a recently deceased pilot whose heirs are awaiting compensation.
Ramadan, who has shown a knack for stirring controversy, posted a video on Facebook on Thursday detailing a call he received from one of the largest banks in Egypt, which told him that authorities had frozen his assets.
“My money, my homes and the meat on my bones belong to the Egyptian government and people,” he said.
Ramadan was reportedly told that the bank wanted to save him the embarrassment of trying to use a credit card only to find out he has no accessible funds.
He boasts that he has as much money stashed in his home as he has in the bank.
He likens himself to “locals, peasants and Upper Egyptians”, who “store as much money in their homes as they do in the bank”.
Ramadan’s video was widely shared on social media as comments poured in from the public, who were somewhat misled into thinking that the assets freezing was more aggressive than it really was.
Egyptian judicial sources said the freezing of Ramadan’s assets was a routine procedure in legal cases where one party owes money to another.
A court ordered Ramadan in April of this year to pay 6 million Egyptian pounds ($382,400) in compensation to former air force pilot Ashraf Abul Yusr.
Abul Yusr filed a lawsuit against Ramadan because of 2019 incident when the rapper posted a video in the pilot’s seat of a private plane.
The stunt led to Abdul Al Yusr being handed a lifetime flying ban by aviation authorities, and he decided to sue.
His assets have been frozen as a legal procedure to implement the court's ruling, which came out in favour of the pilot's heirs
The pair began a highly publicised feud that polarised Ramadan’s audience and put him at odds with other celebrities in Egypt.
“The state has not seized Ramadan’s assets in the bank," tweeted Tarek El Awady, a prominent Egyptian lawyer.
"His assets have been frozen as a legal procedure to implement the court’s ruling, which came out in favour of the pilot’s heirs.
"It is a well-known course of action in these cases.”
Legal experts further explained that the remainder of his assets should be unfrozen after the 6 million pounds is paid to the pilot’s family and the lawsuit is closed.
Some social media users are accusing Ramadan of grandstanding when he knows the matter is much less dramatic than his video purported.
Some have suggested it is a PR move to improve his public image after the pilot’s lawsuit made him appear to be an irresponsible and cruel person.
The pilot's portrayal of Ramadan on TV appearances was repeated by Amr Adib, Egypt's most-watched talk show host, who criticised Ramadan on his show El Hekaya.
Ramadan responded with attacks that led to a lawsuit from Adib, which has yet to be settled in court.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
