Bassem Youssef and the LE 50 million Fine he has to pay

Last November 2014 The Cairo Regional Center International for International Commercial Arbitration ruled out that popular TV host Bassem Youssef and QSoft Ltd , the production company behind his Hit TV show "AlBernmag" should pay LE 100 Million " LE 50 Million each" to CBC TV network for the suspension of his TV show last year.

This goes back when CBC suspended the show if you remember after he was accused of insulting Field Marshal El-Sisi in November 2013 in the first episode of his show's third season. CBC network also issued a strong statement attack Youssef and his crew accusing them of breaching their contract and the channel's editorial policies.

Following that QSoft terminated the contract with CBC and after two months Bassem Youssef returned back to the Screen , on Saudi owned TV channel MBC Masr.

His show continued for couple of months before it was suspended by the channel for fear it would influence the Egyptian voters allegedly before the Presidential elections. After the Presidential elections Bassem and his crew reached to a decision to suspend the show indefinitely.

Now on Monday State-owned Ahram Newspaper published in its first Page this news about the ruling and the fine. By the way this is the first time something like that happens in the Egyptian media.

The news on the first page of Ahram Newspaper
 by Ahmed Ragab

Interestingly Ahram Newspaper , Youm 7 and Al-Watan "which is owned by CBC network's owner Mohamed Al-Amin" reported the news.

On the same day Bassem Youssef spoke about the matter on twitter saying that he was dragged in to the legal feud between QSoft and CBC insisting that he was not part of it. He also spoke about the "The questionable timing" of leaking the verdict to the press this week.

تم الزج بي في خلاف تحكيمي تجاري أنا لست طرفآ فيه يختص بإيقاف CBC للبرنامج وتوقيت تسريب الخبر مثير للتساؤل
— Dr Bassem Youssef (@DrBassemYoussef) December 22, 2014

According to friends and journalists who read the documents of the case and the verdict's reasoning  , Bassem Youssef was not a party involved in the contract , he was only a witness and so he should not be involved in the case.


Despite we are speaking about Commercial arbitration center , journalists like Al-Waleed Ismail say that the reasoning of the ruling included political reasons "Like Egypt did not need satire shows" or "that kind of shows is acceptable only in democratically stable countries"  {Yeah the same old saying that Egyptians are not ready for democracy !!}

Journalist Mohamed El-Garhey published a scan for the center's verdict related to the bad role of Satire shows and how Egypt did not need this kind of shows now !! It is just unbelievable

This is an international commercial arbitration center , why it would speak about politics and the bad effect of Youssef's show in its rulings !!!

Later on Monday QSoft issued a statement on "AlBernmag" TV show Official Facebook page.

Post by ‎البرنامج؟‎.

In adherence to Article 40 of the Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration's procedural rules, QSoft maintains confidentiality on the arbitration's proceedings and urges all parties and the media to equally adhere to the procedural rules to avoid legal repercussions. The company will therefore not comment on the news and reserves its legal right to sue all violating parties for indemnification.

Now how the Egyptian press knew and leaked that ruling in that way !? We got a first page news in Al Ahram Newspaper yesterday followed by other news websites. The ruling is from a month ago then why to leak it now

Bassem Youssef believes that it has to do with the great army Kofta HIV/HCV curing device " allegedly we will know the results of the tests in the end of the year"

تاخدوا الخمسين مليون اسياخ؟ جربوا تاخدوهم. #يحيا_البرنامج
— Dr Bassem Youssef (@DrBassemYoussef) December 22, 2014

Would you like the 50 million as kofta "meat balls" ?? Try it 

I do not think it has to do with the Kofta device , I think it has to do with what's happening in Egypt in general whether the laws being issued without a parliament like a non-stop river from presidency or about secret recordings about Morsi's whereabouts or the latest thing taking place : The reconciliation between Egypt and Qatar.

Call me paranoid but just check the popular news spreading in the past three weeks and you will understand. Whether Mona El-Iraqi and her feminist vengeance from men in some popular bathhouse or Riham El-Saeed and her conquest against demons or this madness about atheists in the media, we know this policy very well. We tried it for decades during Mubarak's rule.

I do not know what will be next for Youssef but I think QSoft's legal team is searching for another way around. I wish him luck already.

By the way just like thing in this country now , there are two teams ; with and against Bassem. The team standing with Bassem mostly from the Non-Islamist Pro-Revolutionaries believe his version of the story that CBC was the one that sued him and sued QSoft. They considered what happened to him is another way of punishing Bassem for crossing the line despite the fact we are speaking about Private arbitrary center.

On the other hand the opposite team from the Pro-Sisi/Pro-Military state supporters believe that he deserved and he is a liar.

Strangely they did not justify or explain why a commercial arbitrary center speaks about the effects of Bassem's show on the society or the fact that CBC claims that Bassem suspended the show but the channel was the one that suspended it first !!

The Islamists are gloating because they can not forget Bassem's stance from Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Anyhow as we witness crazy times in the Egyptian Media planet , I can not hide the fact that I miss Bassem Youssef's show so so so much.