TABUK — A Saudi kidney patient and his brother have been stranded in Egypt for more than three and a half months after they were charged with involvement in organ trade along with 45 other suspects, who included Egyptians and foreigners. "We have been banned from traveling home. Regretfully we are stranded in Egypt for more than 108 days. The Egyptian prosecutor has not yet taken a decision about our travel ban," said Abdul Ilah Al-Shabrami. He said his brother, Abdullah, who had a successful kidney transplant operation in Cairo, has developed gangrene, which is now eating up his fingers and toes. Abdul Ilah thanked the Saudi Embassy in Cairo for closely following up their case but said so far there were no tangible results. He said the embassy provided them with 10,000 Egyptian pounds to pay for their accommodation and sustenance. Abdullah, 37, had obtained a kidney from a dead donor after paying $75,000, which the Egyptian authorities considered trafficking in human organs. The two brothers were arrested and put in custody. Abdullah was confined to hospital while Abdul Ilah was put into police custody. They are freed after putting up a bail of 60,000 Egyptian pounds each. He said he paid the amount in the hope of taking his sick brother out of hospital and traveling home together, only to discover later that they were both placed on a travel ban by the Egyptian authorities. The Saudi embassy, in a statement, said the two brothers are not detained at present and that it was making efforts to close their case.
