Egypt appointed a new vice chairman of the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) on Sunday, Supply Minister Khaled Hanafy told Reuters. Former head the central administration of purchasing at GASC Ahmed Youssef has been appointed its new vice chairman. The appointment comes as Egypt’s wheat industry is in the throes of fraud allegations, with no clear resolution on acceptable levels of ergot fungus in shipments after a “legal snag” prevented Prime Minister Sherif Ismail from issuing a decree to adhere to the international standard of 0.05% contamination. The Agriculture Ministry told Reuters last week the decree was delayed due to a months-old judicial order from the prosecutor general banning all ergot from shipments. "The prosecutor needs to remove that order first before a decree can be issued," Agriculture Ministry spokesman Eid Hawash said.

Hanafy also told Reuters on Sunday a recount of wheat in privately held silos would be finished in less than a month. "It is impossible to recount 5 mn tonnes, but we will take random samples in various places," he said, adding “there is no proof until now that there is a shortage of wheat but it is just a doubt that is present so let’s wait for the result of the investigation," Hanafi said.

The House of Representatives’ wheat fact-finding commission, which was set up last week, agreed on Sunday to begin field investigations on wheat silos today, stopping short of revealing their whereabouts, according to Al Shorouk. In related news, the five officials detained on 20 June over the embezzlement of public funds through manipulating wheat imports in Qalyubia have been charged with fraud and the misappropriation of public funds and banned from travel.