Monday, April 2, 2012

Hawass Involved in Illegal Scheme to Turn Egyptian Antiquities into Cash?

The Egyptian Government is alleging that former antiquities Pharaoh Zahi Hawass was engaged in a scheme to waste public funds and steal antiquities. See http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/38308/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Indiana-Jones-faces-charges.aspx

It's a bit hard to tell from this article, but it seems that the Egyptian prosecutor is alleging that Hawass and the wife of Egypt's deposed President Mubark were skimming profits from a travelling exhibit and that Hawass was receiving unauthorized payments from the National Geographic Society.

Will the US Justice Department be as aggressive investigating allegations of public corruption potentially involving US archaeologists as it has been in tracking down allegedly stolen Egyptian antiquities?
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1 comment:

  1. Voz EarlApril 2, 2012 at 3:14 PM

    While I hesitate to appear unduly enthusiastic in support of the former Pharaoh of Egyptian antiquities, these charges smack of political payback with a large side of anti-Americanism.

    As I recall, when the corruption rumors were first reported, the allegation was that the National Geographic Society was a "Zionist" organization--hardly the sort of thing that inspires confidence in the veracity of the charges.

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