Security forces free captive Egypt Telecom CEO

Security forces on Thursday managed to free Egypt Telecom CEO Mohamed Abdel Rehim, who was being forcibly held by company employees demanding his resignation for failing to meet employees' demands. Abdel Rehim was taken hostage after visiting the company’s Opera branch in downtown Cairo late Wednesday.

The police arrested 5 workers for interrogation and referred them to Cairo’s prosecution.

Abdel Rahem was freed after security forces broke down one of the walls separating the office in which he was being held. He was then taken out of the building through a back door.

The company has witnessed strikes and protests for several months, as the staff accuses the management of squandering funds and refusing to raise salaries.

Meanwhile, the employees continued protesting for the second consecutive day on Thursday to demand an investigation into charges of corruption and mandatory retirements for executives beyond a certain age.

On Wednesday, hundreds of employees began a sit-in demanding the dismissal of the company’s entire Board of Directors. They also accused Abdel Rahem of corruption and of ruining the company due to his affiliation with the now defunct National Democratic Party.

The employees escalated matters after Abdel Rahem failed to meet their demands, which include restructuring wages and disclosing the company’s budget, resources and expenditures.

Translated from the Arabic Edition