By IANS,
Cairo : Egypt has detained Safwat Sherif, former general secretary of the National Democratic Party (NDP), over corruption charges, Xinhua Tuesday quoted state media as saying.
A key ally of former President Hosni Mubarak, who was forced to step down Feb 11 following 18 days of protests, Sherif was also the speaker of the Shoura Council, or the lower house of Egyptian parliament.
He has been recently banned from travelling abroad with a number of other key figures of Mubarak’s regime by prosecutors.
NDP was established in 1978 to further the thoughts of the July 1952 revolution. Initially aimed at overthrowing King Farouk I of Egypt, this revolutionary movement had more political ambitions, as it was soon used to abolish the constitutional monarchy and establish a republic.
Since its foundation, the NDP has always dominated Egypt’s representative institutions.
Mubarak has been heading the party since 1981.
On Jan 25, 2011 nationwide demonstrations against the government and NDP erupted in Egypt, and its headquarters in Cairo was set on fire.