An investigative committee formed on the order of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi accused on Tuesday Central Auditing Organisation (CAO) head Hisham Geneina of deliberately defaming state authorities. Geneina had claimed that corruption from 2012 to 2015 in Egypt resulted in the loss of up to EGP600 billion. Geneina stood his ground following the committee's accusation, insisting that he can support all his statements with evidence. The committee, formed in late 2015 shortly after Geneina made his claims, said in its report that the latter's statements were "misleading, exaggerating, and lacking credibility," and that he misused the word "corruption." One of the points highlighted by the committee's report was the delay of paying debts in the petrol field by foreign partners, which Geneina considered corruption but which the committee says was the result of the deterioration of the economy. The CAO is a governmental body that supervises public finances. (ahramonline)