Egyptian Journalist Who Accused Zelenskyy of Corruption Found Dead

Facts

• Mohammed Al-Alawi — an Egyptian journalist who accused Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy of corruption — was found dead, showing signs of having been beaten, according to Egyptian police.¹
• In August, Al-Alawi published an investigation, complete with local records, indicating that a luxury villa in the Egyptian resort of El Gouna — valued at roughly $4.9M — was recently acquired by Olga Kiyashko, Zelenskyy's mother-in-law. Al-Alawi alleged that Western funds, intended for military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, had been used to facilitate the purchase.²
• His death was first reported by Egypt's El Mostaqbal publication, stating that his body was discovered in the coastal city of Hurghada on Dec. 23. Police said he was found with multiple abrasions, bruises, and fractures, as well as signs of blows to the head that resulted in a brain hemorrhage.³
• Ahmed, the deceased reporter's brother, reported that Al-Alawi began to receive death threats following his publication, adding that he remains worried for the safety of his family.⁴
• Al-Alawi's report was not the first to allege that Zelenskyy had engaged in corrupt practices. In April, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, citing US intelligence officials, alleged that Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials had used US taxpayer funds allocated for fuel to purchase discounted diesel from Russia, proceeding to pocket the difference.⁵
• Meanwhile, Ukraine's embassy in Egypt previously denied Al-Alawi's allegations, claiming that there was no credible record that the Zelenskyy family had even purchased a property in El Gouna.⁶

Sources: ¹Bnn breaking, ²Mr online, ³Pravdareport, ⁴Newsbreak original, ⁵Cf.org and ⁶Msn.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Spectator (UK). Zelenskyy understands that if Ukraine is to join NATO or the EU, it has to clamp down on its problem of corruption that existed long before the war with Russia. He is rightly taking steps to eradicate this problem and should be commended for taking Ukraine in the right direction.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Cf.org. Despite Zelenskyy's public pronouncements on corruption, he himself has been at the center of graft allegations to the tune of several hundred million dollars. How can he be taken seriously on corruption if he's also involved?

Predictions