The Attorney General’s Office issued a decision today, Wednesday, August 7, 2024, to detain the Minister of Oil, Khalifa Abdel-Sadek, and his office manager, on the background of serious job violations.
This decision comes at a time when the oil sector is witnessing a conflict between Abdel-Sadek and Muhammad Aoun, who previously held the position, and investigations have revealed financial violations that may cost the ministry about $500 million.
According to the statement issued by the Attorney General, Abdel-Sadek and his office manager are accused of violations related to financial allocations allocated to foreign companies, as a specialized employee was threatened to sign illegal disbursement documents.
These events open the way for Muhammad Aoun to return to his position, especially since no official decision was issued to dismiss him by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh , but rather the procedures were limited to his temporary exclusion.
At the end of June 2024, Aoun had called on the government to make a decisive decision regarding the leadership of the ministry, warning of the risks that the sector may be exposed to as a result of the presence of two ministers in the position.
Aoun announced his suspension of his duties last July, demanding that the situation be corrected or that he be officially dismissed, noting the threats of foreign companies to withdraw from the sector, which could cause huge financial losses.
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