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Videos alleging corruption open public debate on Egyptian military’s economic empire

An Egyptian construction contractor's viral videos call for an uprising in Egypt, alleging corruption among the military and authorities.
A general view by Egypt's army during a presentation of combat efficiency and equipment in Third Field Army in Suez, Egypt, October 29, 2017 in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. The Egyptian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC143518DEC0

In videos posted to Twitter and Facebook, Mohamed Ali, an Egyptian construction contractor, accused the Egyptian president and military of corruption. Speaking from self-imposed exile in Barcelona, Spain, Ali said the military owes him hundreds of millions of Egyptian pounds for projects carried out by his company, Amlaak Group, including construction of a new presidential palace worth 250 million Egyptian pounds and a luxury hotel for a senior military general worth 2 billion pounds.

Though Ali did not provide evidence to back up his claims, he has nevertheless created widespread controversy in Egypt and attracted 120,000 followers to his Twitter account, @MohamedSecrets, over the last two weeks.

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