President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stated today that a list of 85 debtors has been prepared, to be released from prison before the start of Ramadan by a presidential pardon.
The selection was restricted to those who got loans to pay for essentials, and not just for unnecessary consumption.
El-Sisi began his efforts to free debtors several years ago, back when he served as the minister of Defense. During that time, the armed forces chose to pay off the debts of female headed households who had been imprisoned for writing checks with insufficient funds, ultimately releasing around 48 people. In early 2015, El-Sisi initiated another program with a different name in February of that year and resulted in the release of over 1,100 people in multiple batches.
