Safwan Thabet (Arabic: صفوان أحمد ثابت السميري - b. 1946) is an Egyptian businessman, and founder of the dairy company Juhayna Food Industries.[1][2] Safwan Thabet is the grandson of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's second leader Hassan al-Hudaybi (son of his daughter), who led the group during the Nasser era and nephew of Ma'mun al-Hudaybi, the Sixth General Guide of the Brotherhood between 2002 and 2004.[3]
Arrest
editThabet has had his assets frozen by the Egyptian courts since 2015 (except those in Juhayna since it is a publicly listed company) and was arrested in December 2020 on accusations of funding a terrorist group. The Egyptian public prosecution estimated his assets in 2015 to be around seven billion Egyptian pounds, roughly equaling US$900 million at the time. After his arrest, his son Seif started managing the company, before being arrested too in February 2021. Despite his arrest, Thabet and his family were able to still remain in control of the dairy company through a convoluted schema of ownership and internal net of employees all affiliated to the family.[1] Thabet and his son were released in January 2023.[4][5]
References
edit- ^ a b "ألاعيب صفوان والإخوان داخل جهينة.. حفيد المرشد يتحايل على طريقة الجماعة للحفاظ على وجود التنظيم بالمجموعة.. استقالة جوفاء وخروج صورى لإبقاء 3 خلايا نائمة ومليارات فى خدمة الإرهاب.. فلماذا لا يتدخل القانون بحزم؟". Youm7 (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Egypt: Calls to release Safwan Thabet as wife fights for life". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ ""صفوان ثابت".. رحلة رجل الألبان المتهم بـ"دعم الإرهاب"". aman-dostor.org (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Egypt releases prominent businessmen detained on terrorism charges". Financial Times. 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- ^ "Egyptian business tycoon Safwan Thabet, son detained over terror charges released: Family". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2023-01-28.