Egyptian Government has added ex-football star, Mohamed Aboutrika to a terror list for his alleged links with the banned Muslim Brotherhood, his lawyer says.
According to BBC Africa, Aboutrika is accused of financially supporting the Brotherhood, which Egypt considers a terrorist organisation. In 2012, he endorsed the successful presidential bid by Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood member.
Any person named on the country’s terror list is subject to a travel ban and faces having their passport and assets frozen.
Aboutrika’s lawyer, Mohamed Osman, said the move was “contrary to the law” , adding that his client had “not been convicted or formally notified of any of the charges against him”.
“We will appeal this decision,” Osman said, as Aboutrika has strenuously denied the allegations.
In 2015, the 2008 BBC African Footballer of the Year, had a string of his assets, including shares in a number of companies, seized by the Egyptian authorities.
The freeze on Aboutrika assets is still in force, despite two court orders that it be lifted, Osman added.
In an interview with state-run Al-Ahram newspaper in May 2015, Aboutrika denied that his company, or any of his partners, had ever funded the religious movement.
Since Morsi’s overthrow, a police crackdown against the Brotherhood has left hundreds dead and thousands jailed.
