Prosecution Judge Sameh Abuzid in NGO foreign funding case Cairo – Akram Ali Evidence from the NGOs illegal funding case reveals that the United States spent an amount of 1.2 billion EGP (200 million US dollars) on 68 organisations, according to Saturday’s issue of al-Ahram newspaper, which added that 31 NGOs from among the 68 receiving funds have been working without a license, including International Republican Institute (IRI), National Democratic Institute (NDI), Freedom House, and International Centre for Journalists. However, despite unlicensed work in Egypt, these organisations received 511 million EGP worth of funds last year, according to evidence revealed by al-Ahram.
It further reported that prosecution evidence drew attention that the US and German governments increased their funding of their organisations in Egypt in the past months by 80%, where every trainee in these organisations received a monthly amount up to 13,000 EGP, equivalent to 2000 US dollars.
IRI political training director had stated, through interrogations, that he provided training on the technical aspects of campaigning for political parties’ representatives, whereas NDI’s Layla Jaafar stated that 49 Egyptian political parties received training during the past year at the American institute.
Egypt’s Intelligence noted that the foreign funding of NGOs aims to influence the political process in Egypt and assist certain political movements, which would serve the party or country providing such funds.
In the same context, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey warned of the repercussions of the suspension of US military aids to Egypt.
Dempsey cautioned lawmakers not to cut aid to Egypt, saying such a move would be a “mistake.” He told Congress that the aid cut-off could backfire by distancing future generations of Egyptian military officers from the United States.
He also noted privileges, including over-flight rights and priority passage through Suez canal, that US aid helps ensure.