Printed papers on the political situation and military policy in Egypt [‎37r] (73/176)

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to come to an amicable arrangement with the ex-Khedive. He was to be invitedto
authorise the sale of his Egyptian properties to the Egyptian government tor a tixea
sum or by the Public Custodian for what they would fetch in the open market, ii
he refused to be a party to any liquidation, the Public Custodian would act in v n u
of proclamations under martial law and would liquidate the property on the best
terms that could be obtained. In the latter event, it was proposed that the piocee >
of the forced liquidation should be handed over to Abbas Hilmi, provided he sign
an undertaking not to acquire or hold any property in Egypt m the future. 1
characteristic timidity the Egyptian Council of Ministers verbally assented to this
arrangement, but declined to assume any formal responsibility. ^
30. These proposals were put to the ex-Khedive in May 1920 by feir W. a} er.
Leo-al Adviser to the Egvptian Ministry of Finance, who went to Constantinople tor
the purpose. The ex-Khedive replied that he was incapacitated from authorising the
sale, as all his immovable property in Egypt had been irrevocably constituted Wakheh
in Turkey in November 1914. Apart from this the price ottered by the Egyptian
Government (£E. 830,000) was, he said, inadequate, as he estimated the gross value
of his estates at £E. 2,000,000 at least. It may be mentioned that a report on the
estates drawn up in the previous February by the Public Custodian showed a surp us
of assets over liabilities of £E. 844.862. As a considerable fall in the price of cotton
had since taken place, which necessarily had a corresponding eftect upon the value ot
land, the price offered by the Egvptian Government was not an unfair one As to the
alleged Wakfieh, further investigation went to prove that it had not been completed
in Turkey. Moreover, so far as could be ascertained, the alleged Wakfieh had never
been registered in Egypt and therefore was not valid as regards property situated m
this country. An attempt to constitute a Wakf of these properties now would be an
offence against the proclamation of 1916. A proclamation was therefore issued by
the Commander-in-chief on the 24th November 1920. empowering the Public
Custodian to sell in any manner he thought proper all the property of the ex-Khedive
under his control and to pay out of the proceeds all the mortgage debts and other
debts incurred bv the ex-Khedive in Egypt of which he had received notice, and a
circular was sent to all cadis in Egypt calling their attention to the _ ^
On steps being taken bv the Public Custodian to sell the Palaces of Koubbeh and
Montaza and adjoining properties to the Ministry of Makfs and the Miltamc Wakf
Administration, notice was given to him on the 12th December, on behalf of
the ex-Khedive, of an action in the Native Court of lirst Instance to recover the
properties. It was considered that the action could have little significance as the
Public Custodian had been appointed by the Commander-in-chief under martial law
and was therefore immune from the jurisdiction of the court; he was, however,
instructed to give the usual guarantees when effecting sales of the ex-Khedives
estates. The result of the legal action taken by the ex-Khedive would, on the othei
hand, probablv make it impossible for any pavments at all to be made to hrni m
respect of the sales until the courts had given a final decision as to the alleged \\ aki.
The Public Custodian was, in fact, instructed to invest the proceeds of all sales m
Government securities, and to retain the interest m his hands. 0n the . 14t “
February 1921 the case came before the Juge preparateur tor the production o
documents, and'the Public Custodian, acting under his instructions took no part m
the proceedings. The liquidation of the estate proceeded, and by the end of Ma>
there were only three properties of importance remaining to be disposed of viz
I small i a Edfina and Mariout, valued at the beginning of the year at £E.264,oOO
ep oni 950 and 4>E 17 250 respectively, but since then considerably depreciated
owing as* indicated above, to the fall in the market value of cotton As to the legal
proceedings, the plaintiffs had shown no inclination, up to the end of the year, to
iress them on and it seems probable that the action had only been started in order to
throw doubt on the title of the Public Custodian to sell the property and so to prevent
anysaleSj thp ex . Khediv e had requested His Majesty's High
Commissioner at Constantinople for a pass to enable him to go to Italy and
Switzerland This was refused. Simultaneously a letter from the ex-Khediye to
Mnstapha Kemal. the Turkish Nationalist leader, came to light encouraging him in
his war with the Greeks and urging him not to treat with the delegates of the
Constantinople Government lest he should get into the clutches ot the British. Abbas
TTilnii added that he was spreading Bolshevik propaganda by publications m the
cress of E-n-pt Svria and all Arab countries. He was also found to be intriguing
with' Sheikh Ahmed -el-Senoussi. In January he applied to the Italian Ambassador
at Constantinople for permission to settle in Italy under Italian piotection,
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