Three days after announcing his intention to run in the next presidential elections in Egypt, former Prime Minister Ahmed Sahfik returned to Cairo from Abu Dhabi on Saturday on board a private jet.
His lawyer Dina Adly Hussein told Asharq Al-Awsat that her client departed the United Arab Emirates to Egypt early in the morning on Saturday, while his family, including his daughter remained in Abu Dhabi.
An official source later confirmed her statement.
Shafik came in second to deposed President Mohammed Morsi in the 2012 presidential elections with over 12 million votes (49 percent of the tally). He departed to the UAE soon after his defeat fearing that he would be persecuted on corruption charges.
Charges were laid down against him, but he was acquitted of some, while the others were dropped.
Shafik was once considered close to former President Hosni Mubarak.
A prominent military commander, he was appointed commander of the air force in 1996 and later minister of aviation in 2002. In 2011, Mubarak tasked him with forming a new government.
An informed Egyptian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Shafik received a deportation request from the UAE and that he was obligated to leave within two days.
Prior to his deportation, he was expected to embark on a tour of several European countries, including France, ahead of his announcement of his candidacy for the presidential elections.
