Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Saturday that allegations of embezzlement and misuse of public funds in building new presidential palaces are "sheer lies and defamation."
"I've built presidential palaces and I will continue to do so. I am building a new country. ... All of this is not mine. It's Egypt's,” he told the 8th National Youth Conference in Cairo.
Sisi was responding to claims by a contractor who said he worked for the military for 15 years, alleging massive spending and misuse of public funds.
The president called the claims against the military an attempt to topple Egypt.
Earlier, at one of the conference’s sessions, Sisi described the army as the country’s backbone.
“We won’t accept for the Egyptian military to be offended after all the achievements it has made,” said the president.
