Egypt's Prime Minister Resigns Amid Corruption Probe

Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb in a photo from May. Mehleb resigned his post today, paving the way for a new Cabinet.

Charles Platiau/Reuters/Landov

Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb has stepped down along with his cabinet, apparently bowing to pressure from a corruption probe that saw the arrest of his agriculture minister last week.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi accepted Mehleb's resignation.

Al-Jazeera writes: "[El-Sissi] told the cabinet to remain in a caretaker role until a new Cabinet was formed, according to Saturday's statement." AP quotes two officials from El-Sissi's office as saying that Petroleum Minister Sherif Ismail had been asked to form a new Cabinet within a week.

Agence France-Press quotes a senior government official as saying the Cabinet reshuffle is intended to "pump new blood" into the government.

According to the AP: "Prior to handing in his resignation, Mehleb gave a report detailing the performance of the government, which both officials said el-Sissi found 'unsatisfying.' "

Agriculture Minister Salah el-Din Helal was arrested along with his aides earlier this week after officials alleged that they accepted gifts in exchange for "the reallocation of a parcel of state land including a sports club membership, high-end clothing, mobile phones, expensive meals, payment for 16 people to go on a religious pilgrimage and a luxury housing unit," the AP reported.