Jewish Family Awarded $8,698,244 for Property Expropriated in Egypt

The British Foreign Compensation Commission, after a five-day hearing, awarded 3,106,516 pounds ($8,698,244) yesterday to the Smouha family for the holdings established by the family in Egypt which was expropriated by Nasser during the 1956 Suez crisis.

The family had filed a claim for 12,000,000 pounds ($33,600,000) for the property, known as Smouha Island, comprising one-sixth of Alexandria, which had been built up by Joseph Smouha, a one time Manchester businessman, who went to Egypt on a mission for the British Government and remained to create his holdings, all built on land reclaimed by draining two lakes.

Ellis Smouha filed the claim for himself and 13 relatives but about 50 members of the family will benefit from the award. It was brought out at the hearing that the late King Fuad had given the title of “Smouha City” to the property, which includes a racing course, a village, dwellings, offices and motion picture theaters.

When Nasser “nationalized” the area, his government offered only 1,000,000 pounds compensation, contending that the area was only agricultural land. The funds for the award to the Smouha family came from an agreement under which the Nasser regime agreed to pay 27,500,000 pounds ($75,600,000) for nationalized British property.

Thomas Moore, chairman of the British Community Association of Egypt, said, after the Smouha award was announced that “we have kept a watch on this case. It could be that there are more such claims to be heard.” The association looks after the financial interests of several thousand Britons who were dispossessed of their property by Nasser after the Suez incident. Only about 6,000,000 pounds ($16,800,000) has been paid in compensation to them to date.