Member of house investigative committee points finger at Supply Minister: “We have accounting documents that implicate the Supply Minister in the misappropriation of EGP 14 bn in the wheat corruption scandal,” alleged Rep. Yasser Omar, a member of the House of Representatives committee investigating allegations of fraud in this winter’s wheat harvest, Al Mal reports. It’s the most direct accusation levied against Supply Minister Khaled Hanafy to date. Omar also alleged that behind-the-scenes talks between the committee and the minister’s office aim to extricate Hanafy from political jeopardy before the final report is tendered. Omar Made offered no proof of his allegations, and the EGP 14 bn frankly beggars the imagination: The state paid EGP 14 bn to farmers for the 2016 wheat harvest, so Omar is essentially claiming that the entire harvest was fraudulent.

Meanwhile, Al Ahram has confirmed that 13 officials and private silo owners have been arrested on orders of the Prosecutor General for their alleged involvement in the scandal. The news comes as the Supply Ministry makes preparation of the start of this year’s 2 mn tonne rice harvest in September, Al Mal reports.