CAIRO, Dec 30 (Aswat Masriya) – The travel ban enforced on Egyptian businessman Hassan Heikal since he faced the charge of manipulating the stock market in 2012 remains intact, judicial sources told Aswat Masriya on Tuesday.

An alleged phone conversation urging Egypt's top prosecutor to lift the travel ban on Heikal improves his status rather than harms him, the businessman said on Monday.

Heikal said the persistence of the travel ban shows there has been no interference in judicial affairs in his favour.

A recording allegedly representing a telephone conversation between Abbas Kamel, office manager of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi when he served as defence minister, and the prosecutor general was broadcast on private-owned channel el-Sharq two days ago.

In the recording, Kamel urges the prosecutor general to accelerate Heikal’s trial procedures.

Judicial sources denied the authenticity of the said recording, which could not be independently verified by Aswat Masriya.

Heikal is accused, alongside eight other defendants including former President Hosni Mubarak's sons Alaa and Gamal, of profiteering through the manipulation of Egypt's stock market. The case remains pending.