Tut-Tut: Did Nat Geo Bribe Egypt's Famed Indiana Jones?

Vocativ ^ | Oct 27, 2013 | Aram Roston

[SunkenCiv]

Vocativ has learned that the Justice Department has opened a criminal bribery investigation into the prestigious nonprofit. At issue: Nat Geo's tangled relationship with Dr. Zahi Hawass, a world-famous Indiana Jones–type figure who for years served as the official gatekeeper to Egypt's glittering antiquities.

Beginning in 2001 and continuing for a decade, National Geographic paid the archaeologist between $80,000 and $200,000 a year for his expertise. The payments came at a time when the popularity of mummies and pharaohs was helping transform the 125-year-old explorer society into a juggernaut with multiple glossies, a publishing house and a television channel. But they also came as Hawass was still employed by the Egyptian government to oversee the country's priceless relics...

The Arab Spring was hard on Hawass. In 2011, he stepped down from his role as an explorer, after being promoted by the Egyptian government (the position made it illegal, he says, for him to accept lecture fees). But not long after the Mubarak regime collapsed, a court sentenced him to a year in prison on charges related to a museum gift shop contract. The ruling was overturned, but soon enough, Hawass was booted from government.

The Morsi era would spell even more trouble for the esteemed archaeologist -- as well as for National Geographic. Last year, an Egyptian court found that a Cleopatra exhibit sponsored by the society -- and agreed to by Hawass -- had to be returned to Egypt. The deal to ship antiquities out of the country, the court said, was illegal. Egyptian prosecutors also hit Hawass with a travel ban. That was eventually overturned, but the brouhaha is perhaps what brought Hawass' relationship with National Geographic to the attention of the US Justice Department.

[Mister Da]

There are so many potentially corrupt players here it is hard to tell the good guys from the bad.

[Bigg Red]

The new face of King Tut: Cher?

[Bigg Red]

I agree, but I’ve been in a summary-execution mood all night.

**
That made me chuckle.

[Bigg Red]

...whatever Hawass’ numerous failings are, any activities of his suggestive of corruption still leave him looking like Mother Teresa compared with gubmint officials in Egypt or anywhere else in the Arab or Moslem world.

(((
Or the Soros Administration.

[a fool in paradise]

Slaves had healthcare just as today’s dependents can look to their lord government to throw them a bone now and then IF they don’t try for independence or forget who their master is.

[colorado tanker]

I always figured Hawass kept to the no slaves built the pyramids line as a form of Egyptian political correctness so he could keep his job.

He was an irritating showboat, but he did a good job keeping the antiquities in Egypt and the muzzies away from the antiquities.

The US must appear so silly and naive to the rest of the world. Nobody gives a "bribe" by publicly inking it in a signed contract.

[1010RD]

The MB are so bad for Egypt and anywhere for that matter. How can you not ship antiquities for public display and later return? Egypt desperately needs tourism and tourists or their socialist paradise will really become a hell hole.

[Condor51]

Here's my take on this. If Heinrich Holder's DOJ is going after National Geographic and Dr. Zahi Hawass, they're INNOCENT. And the only reason the DOJ is doing this is that Nat Geo didn't kickback any or enough money to Idi Imin Obama's pockets.

Plus, Idi Amin Obam & his pet monkey Heinrich Holder are going after Dr Hawass because he was anti-Morsi which is unacceptable to the pro-terrorist assh-le in the White House.

[SunkenCiv]

I wholeheartedly agree, with the quibble that Zahi didn’t turn on Morsi immediately, only reflexively after getting fired and accused. This isn’t even Zahi’s first go-round with this kind of thing, he was suspended and replaced by Mubarak’s gov’t and had to fight in court for innocence and reinstatement.