France arrests former Egyptian finance minister on Interpol warrant

Reuters
Youssef Boutros-Ghali, Chairman of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), stands in front of security officers at the venue of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Gyeongju, southeast of Seoul, in this October 22, 2010 file photo. REUTERS/Nicky Loh

PARIS (Reuters) - Former Egyptian finance minister Youssef Boutros Ghali was arrested in France this week on an international warrant over corruption charges from his time in Hosni Mubarak's government, the French foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Boutros Ghali was sentenced in absentia to 30 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power following the uprising that unseated Mubarak in 2011. He was one of a group of influential economic policymakers close to Mubarak's son Gamal. The Egyptian state press agency Mena reported that Ghali had been arrested on Monday upon arrival in Paris from London. "We confirm the arrest on April 14 of Youssef Boutros Ghali following a request by Interpol," a foreign ministry spokesman said, without providing any further details. Boutros Ghali, a nephew to former U.N. secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali, was detained after arriving in Paris from London. He left Egypt just after the 2011 uprising, which was fuelled in part by increasing economic hardship. (Reporting By Marine Pennetier; Writing by Nicholas Vinocur; Editing by Mark Heinrich)