Egypt has formally asked European Union countries to freeze the assets held by ousted president Hosny Mubarak on their territory, a diplomat from the bloc said on Monday.
"I understand that a note by the Egyptian government has been sent to member states," the diplomat, who asked not to be named, told the German Press Agency dpa.
EU diplomats are expected to discuss the measure at a meeting on Tuesday, the official added.
Mubarak is suspected of having amassed a huge personal wealth through kickbacks and other forms of corruption during his almost 30- year reign at the helm of the Egyptian state.
A freeze on his assets has already been decreed by Switzerland, which was also quicker than the EU when a similar sanction was imposed last month on another ousted North African ruler, former Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.