Egyptian MP expelled after criticising parliament

A two-thirds majority of Egyptian lawmakers on Monday voted to strip a prominent MP of membership over accusations of leaking information concerning domestic conditions to international institutions.

Mohammed Anwar al-Sadat has also been accused of fraud, and bringing the Egyptian parliament into disrepute.

Sadat was found guilty by his parliamentary peers of accusations including faking the signatures of 16 fellow MPs on draft laws he had personally drafted related to criminal procedures, and NGOs.

Organisations he stands accused of leaking information to include the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Sadat was told to leave the parliament chamber in Cairo before the vote commenced.

A number of fellow MPs also left the chamber in solidarity claiming that a report condemning Sadat had been hurried through parliament without due diligence, or allowing MPs to come to terms with the case.

A war of words has been raging between Sadat and Parliament Speaker Ali Abdelaal for a number of weeks, reigniting previous hostilities between the pair.

Sadat has previously ignored calls made by Abdelaal for MPs not to speak to the media, and also accused the parliament speaker and two of his deputies of using state funds to buy a number of armoured cars worth 18 million Egyptian pounds.

Sadat has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2005.

Sadat, the nephew of slain Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, dismissed the allegations in a brief statement Monday, saying "the parliament dropped my membership based on false accusations."

He has also spoken out against corruption and the parliament’s handling of human rights issues.

Abdelaal is in his first parliamentary session but enjoys support from the pro-government "Supporting Egypt" coalition.