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The military will not be allowing state oversight over its financial and economic activities, a spokesperson said.
Several news outlets reported that military spokesperson Colonel Ahmed Ali told Turkish news agency Anadolu that the Egyptian armed forces would be subject to oversight by the Central Auditing Authority.
The Anadolu report quoted Ali as saying military Commander-in-Chief and Minister of Defence and Military Production General Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi had agreed that all military economic activities such as factories and officers’ clubs would now be subject to civilian oversight.
Ali was quick to deny the reports, telling Egyptian state-owned news agency MENA that he had not given Anadolu any interviews or statements on the matter and that the reports were false, urging journalists to report on the military using only official statements.
The Egyptian military controls a large percentage of the country’s economy through its ownership of many factories that produce goods for civilians such as pasta and drinking water through projects like the “Food Security” project, in addition to running resorts, wedding halls, and cinemas.
The military is also involved in the construction field through the Arab Organisation for Industry. Egypt’s military has also recently acquired the rights to the Nasr series of cars, and assembly and production has begun through the Ministry of State for Military Production.
The constitution does not provide for civilian oversight over military activities and even the elected parliament is only allowed to view the military budget as one figure, which is not broken down to show separate expense or profit information.
The budget and other military affairs are only to be discussed through the National Defence Council, half of which is composed of military leaders.
