A secret document that appears to show six-figure payments from Qatar to top Muslim Brotherhood officials is fueling charges of corruption and hypocrisy at ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and his Islamist cronies.The document, allegedly recovered in the ransacking of Muslim Brotherhood offices in Cairo after the Egyptian military removed Morsi from office, lists payments ranging from $250,000 to $850,000 to top Morsi associates from the former Prime Minister of Qatar. The payments, which some observers believe may be linked to funding Qatar provided the Morsi government on steep and unpopular terms, undermine the religious regime's moral authority, say experts. The document, written in both English and Arabic, was brought to light by independent Egyptian journalist Abdallah Hamouda in a recent appearance on the BBC. Hamouda said he "challenged the people whose names were listed to defend themselves, but no one rang [back]."
The document, dated March 28, 2013, details the transfer of sums from "HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabber Al Thani (May God Protect Him), Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs" of Qatar, to a long list of significant Muslim Brotherhood members. Sheikh Hamad stepped down from his position late last month along with the Emir of Qatar who -- in a move that shocked the whole region -- suddenly abdicated in favor of his 33-year-old son, Sheikh Tamim.
The secret payments flowing in from Qatar as Egypt's economy crumbled may be related to huge loans the country made to Egypt that were criticized by economists as not being in Egypt's best interests. Instead of using the funds to restructure debt, the Morsi government simply added to Egypt's debt burden at interest rates that benefited Qatar, critics said at the time. But if secret payments helped smooth the way for the massive loans from Qatar, it may have backfired.