General Mahmoud Wagdy has been appointed as the Ministry of Interior, according to unconfirmed media reports about Egypt's new government.

Wagdy, former director of the Prisons Authority, is reportedly closely linked to President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

Media also reported the appointment of Gawdat al-Malt, head of the Audit Office, to the Ministry of Finance. Al-Malt however denied his appointment in telephone conversations.

Al-Malt’s Audit Office has a record of fighting corruption.

Meanwhile, Egypt's former trade minister Rashid Mohammed Rashid has refused to join the new government, the broadcaster al-Arabiya reported.

Mubarak has appointed Ahmad Shafiq, ex-aviation minister, to form a new government, in an attempt to tame the mass protests sweeping the nation.