The head of Egypt'stax authority, Abdul Azim Hussein, has been arrested on charges ofreceiving bribes, the public prosecutors' office said on Saturday.
"It was provedthrough recorded phone calls and meetings that he received money and gifts asbribes", it added in a statement.
The statement gaveno details but the state news agency MENA said he had received bribes from somechartered accountants who were dealing with the tax authority. Lawyers forHussein could not immediately be reached for comment.
Deputy taxauthority director Reda Abdul Kader has been named acting head of the agency,the finance ministry said on Saturday. "The (finance) minister affirmedthat there is no one above law, and hat there can be no covering up of anycorruption," the ministry added in a statement.
Egyptianauthorities have made notable efforts in recent years to improve tax collectionand curb tax evasion, tightening laws and launching public campaigns toencourage people to settle their tax affairs.
Several seniorofficials have been arrested under Sisi's five-year-old presidency on chargesof receiving bribes, and Egypt rose 12 places in Transparency International'scorruption index in 2018 to 105 out of 180 countries.
