Egypt asks banks to unveil foreign donations to local charities

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has ordered banks to provide the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Justice with information about transactions involving charities and civil society organizations.

The London-based Asharq al-Awsat quoted on Thursday an official at a major bank in Egypt, who asked not to be named, as saying that the move aims to track the sources of foreign donations.

Some officials have insinuated that foreign funding is motivated by politics rather than charity and could represent a threat to Egypt.

In July, officials accused a number of civil groups of receiving foreign grants and said the donations endangered national security. Two weeks ago, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) accused the April 6 Youth Movement, a political activist group, of receiving foreign donations.

The newspaper quoted the bank source as saying that the Central Bank asked banks to verify the validity of the operating licenses given to civil society organizations by the Social Solidarity Ministry.