Misappropriation of funds from King Tut exhibit

Al Masry Al Youm

The Public Funds Prosecution is investigating accusations made by Nour Abdel Samad, director of Egypt’s archaeological sites, that former First Lady Suzanne Mubarak and Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass misappropriated public funds using national artifacts.

Hawass had said during a talk show that a Tutankhamun exhibition collected US$17 million in donations for Suzanne Mubarak’s charity fund, which Samad said was illegal because the charity is privately owned.

Abdel Samad also accused Hawass of illegally signing a contract with the American Geographical Society to exhibit unique Egyptian artifacts in the United States and Australia.