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Ahmed Ezz, the preeminent steel and iron tycoon in Egypt before the revolution, was the secretary for organizational affairs for the National Democratic Party (NDP), a member of the party’s policies secretariat, and the elected chairman of the People’s Assembly’s Budget and Planning Committee. Widely viewed as the preeminent symbol of regime corruption and cronyism, in 2006 Ezz owned over 70 percent of the country’s steel and iron production and 50 percent of the ceramics market. Ezz was a close associate of Gamal Mubarak and members of the opposition accused him of exploiting this relationship to secure leadership positions within the NDP. Independent publications have also accused him of financing President Mubarak’s 2005 presidential campaign in exchange for a coveted political appointment. Finally, Ezz has been accused of blocking the passage of legislation intended to stiffen anti-trust laws.
Ezz played a prominent role in engineering the NDP’s landslide victory in the 2010 People’s Assembly elections, widely seen as fraudulent. As a leading member of the People’s Assembly, Ezz also played a significant role in upholding party discipline among the NDP’s parliamentarians and pressuring them to conform to the party line.
Ezz resigned from the NDP on January 29, 2011, several days after widespread anti-regime protests broke out. On February 3, he was banned from travel by Egypt’s Attorney General and he was among the first members of the regime to have his assets frozen by authorities. On February 17, he was arrested for financial crimes and for wasting public funds.
