Anwar El-Sadat’s Family Files For Investigation Over The Sale Of His Diplomatic Passport
A formal complaint was submitted by Anwar El-Sadat’s grandson MP Karim El-Sadat against the recent sale of the former Egyptian president’s diplomatic passport at the Texas-based Heritage Auctions house. The complaint was directed at Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly as well as several members of parliament including the ministers of foreign affairs, culture and tourism.
“There is no doubt that late President Anwar El-Sadat had presented a lot to the homeland throughout his life and that it is not appropriate for his passport to be sold in a foreign auction house,” Karim El-Sadat said to local media.
El-Sadat’s diplomatic passport was sold on Feb. 22 for $47,000 spurring the former president’s family to request an official investigation to determine how the Egyptian passport managed to leave the country and end up in a US-based auction house. As far as his grandson knows, the president’s wife gave El-Sadat’s belongings to the Library of Alexandria but the library’s director, Ahmed Zayed stated that the passport was not among the belongings.
The valuable document was issued back on March 19, 1974, and remained valid until March 18, 1981. The passport has no visa stamps but was used by the former president on several historic trips including his visit to Israel back in Nov. 19, 1977.
When it comes to the identity of the buyer, details of his identity were not disclosed on the official auction page and the only information known so far is the recent call for an investigation.
