Sawiris says head of NTRA responsible for communications cut off

Business tycoon and founder of Egyptian mobile firm Mobinil Naguib Sawiris alleged on his Twitter account on Friday that the communications cut-off in the early days of the Jan.25 uprising was the responsibility of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA).

"Of course Dr Amr Badawi NTRA's boss ordered the cut off, funny enough he is still in charge today," Sawiris tweeted.

Sawiris added that the current legal system does not prevent similar communication cut-offs.

"Even the draft of the new telecom law that I rejected left the door open for future cutoffs," he said.

Mubarak and Egypt's former prime minister and interior minister were fined a total of LE 540 million ($91 million) in May for cutting mobile services, in a bid to disrupt mass protests across the country.

The three are appealing against the fine, saying other officials, including the head of Egypt's current ruling military council, were all present at a ministerial meeting that took the decision, and hence shared responsibility.