Egypt orders arrest of ex-PM Ahmed Shafiq

Egyptian authorities ordered the arrest of ousted strongman Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq on Tuesday on suspicion of corruption, judicial sources said.

Officials say Shafiq has been referred to stand trial on corruption charges in a case involving the ousted leader's sons.

A former air force chief and civil aviation minister, Shafiq was named prime minister in the last days of Mubarak's presidency before the veteran strongman's overthrow in February last year.

Shafiq was the runner-up in Egypt's June presidential election, narrowly losing to the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi.

He took 48.3 percent of the vote.

Shafiq has been living in the United Arab Emirates ever since his defeat, and was last month barred from travel using his Egyptian passport.

He slammed the travel restrictions imposed on him, and said he would have no hesitation about flying home if he deemed it necessary.

He has repeatedly denied corruption allegations and has said in the past they are politically motivated.

The officials said Tuesday Shafiq has been referred to stand trial on charges linked to his time as the chairman of a housing association in the 1990s.

It’s alleged he sold plots of land at a fraction of their value to Mubarak's sons, Gamal and Alaa.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to brief the media.

France 24 with wires