CAIRO, Jan 22 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt’s prosecution has ordered on Sunday the detention of a finance minister's adviser and two others for four days pending investigations on bribery charges, reported state-run MENA news agency.

The Administrative Control Authority (ACA), the country’s official anti-corruption body, had arrested the finance minister’s adviser for real estate taxes on Friday for receiving EGP 1m from a contractor in exchange of devaluing a state-owned tourism land. 

The total amount of the bribery is EGP 4m, according to the ACA. The case would have cost the state around EGP 500m if it had succeeded.

The adviser was accused of receiving bribery while in office, while the two other defendants were accused of offering bribes.

This comes few weeks after head of the procurement department at the State Council Gamal Ibrahim El-Laban was arrested while receiving a bribe and detained pending investigations.

The police seized EGP 24 million from Laban's house, in addition to large amounts of gold accessories and gifts. 

Earlier in January, former secretary-general of Egypt's State Council Wael Shalaby committed suicide while in custody after being arrested and charged with receiving bribes.