Monica Hanna, a researcher and assistant professor in Egyptian archaeology and cultural heritage, has filed a complaint with Counselor Mohamed Shawky, the attorney general, against Zahi Hawass, head of archaeological missions in Saqqara and the Valley of the Kings. The complaint states: "Regarding the report on the exploitation of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to receive foreign grants of unknown sources to fund Dr. Zahi Hawass's excavations in Saqqara and the city of Luxor under the guise of the Zahi Hawass Center at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the failure of this center to be subject to financial and accounting auditing by the library or any external body, which violates the library’s regulations and the Antiquities Protection Law No. 117 of 1983 and its amendments, which stipulates the necessity to disclose the identity of the sources of funds that are related to archaeological missions."
The complaint adds: "The Zahi Hawass Center for Egyptology was established by a decision from the library's then-president, Dr. مصطفى الفقي, in February 2018. Since then, the center has fundamentally been created to gather foreign grants to fund the excavations and projects of Dr. Zahi Hawass in violation of the law in Saqqara and the West Bank of Luxor and the pyramids area, which are grants that do not enter the budget of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina."
The text continues: "Dr. Zahi Hawass has received foreign grants from some research institutes, such as the American Research Center, to fund his excavations; however, the majority of the funding comes from unidentified sources from individuals abroad whose identities are concealed under the guise of the Zahi Hawass Center at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. This center is not subject to any legal or financial accountability and is not regulated by the Central Auditing Authority. The center exploits foreign currency funding from anonymous individuals from various countries, and these grants do not enter the official accounts of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, nor are they published in financial audit reports."
The complaint also indicates that these missions violate the law as they do not follow any scientific institutions such as universities or scientific institutes according to the Antiquities Protection Law No. 117 of 1983 and its amendments. Zahi is conducting excavations in six different locations: the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Ramesses II in Wadi al-Qirud, the golden city, the city of Habu, Saqqara, and the Giza pyramids without the knowledge of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. How can all these missions be entrusted to one person, which has never been approved in the history of the Supreme Council of Antiquities? Furthermore, it involves a person who does not belong to a scientific institution and employs staff from the Supreme Council of Antiquities from various regions throughout the year for a substantial fee.
The complaint calls upon the permanent committee and missions administration of the Supreme Council of Antiquities to review the excavation contracts and the mentioned funding sources officially and to investigate those facilitating these violations within the Supreme Council of Antiquities, as well as to review the applications submitted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina for these missions.
The complainant urged the competent authorities regarding money laundering crimes and receiving foreign grants to take legal action and investigate to protect the scientific archaeological work in Egypt.
