Egyptian exec arraigned on NYC sex charge

A businessman and former chairman of a major Egyptian bank faces charges of sexually abusing a maid at a luxury Manhattan hotel, just weeks after the arrest of a former International Monetary Fund chief on similar allegations.

Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar was arrested Monday and is accused of sexually abusing a maid at The Pierre, a luxury hotel near Central Park and Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, police said.

Late Tuesday night, Omar was ordered held on $50,000 bond, or $25,000 cash, at his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court. He did not enter a plea.

Judge Gerald Lebovits also ordered him to surrender all travel documents. Omar's next court date is June 3.

Omar was represented by Elizabeth Beals of the Legal Aid Society, who said he "adamantly denies the charges."

The maid was called to Omar's room Sunday night to drop off tissues, police said. But once inside the 74-year-old's room, police said Omar would not let her leave and touched her inappropriately. The encounter was not reported until Monday, police said.

Paul Browne, a spokesman for the NYPD, said detectives found the complainant to be credible. Omar is currently the board chairman of the El-Mex Salines Co., a state-run salt production company, according to the company's website. It is the largest salt producer in Egypt and the Middle East, the website said.

With Emily Ngo