DUBAI/CAIRO  - Egypt's Administrative Prosecution Authority (APA), responsible for investigations related to civil servants, has charged the vice chairman of the country's state grain buyer and other employees over suspected financial and administrative violations, an APA official told Reuters.

Egyptian news website vetogate.com on Wednesday published what it said was an APA document which outlined charges against Ahmed Youssef, vice chairman of the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), and seven other GASC employees.

The document, seen by Reuters, details charges including the alleged unauthorised payment of bonuses, receiving money "against the regulations", and allowing a financial controller to attend tenders without the necessary government approval.

APA spokesman Mohamed Samir told Reuters that the document was authentic and had been "leaked unofficially". He said the case against Youssef had been submitted to the State Council Court, an administrative body, in March or April and that the charges were not criminal in nature.

Youssef confirmed to Reuters that he had been questioned last year as part of an investigation, but denied any wrongdoing and said he had not been informed of any court filing.

"We thought it ended there (with the questioning). There was no indication it would be transferred to court," Youssef told Reuters by telephone.

"The main problem revolved around the bonuses and the fact that there was a financial controller attending the tenders," he said.

GASC handles the bulk of wheat imports for Egypt, the world's largest buyer. Youssef is a key decision maker in international tenders for wheat purchases and a powerful figure on global wheat markets. GASC spends more than $1.5 billion on imported wheat annually.

Samir said that should Youssef or other GASC employees be found by the State Council Court to be in violation of the rules, they could face dismissal or fines. He said those named in the document would be notified "in due course".

Reuters was not immediately able to contact the other individuals named in the document.

GASC falls under the responsibility of Egypt's Supply Ministry. The supply minister, who is the chairman of GASC, did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The document says investigations started in 2016 and that the court filing was made in 2018, without specifying dates.

The charges are related to alleged violations from 2015 onwards, Samir said. He said the case may now be delayed by a judicial break from July to October.

Youssef became the vice chairman of GASC in July 2016, but was an employee of the state grain buyer before that, heading the central administration of purchasing.

(Reporting by Maha El Dahan and Eric Knecht; Editing by Dale Hudson/Nick Tattersall)