Egypt court acquits Mubarak-era official of graft charges

An Egyptian court has acquitted a former interior minister and senior security official, who served under ousted dictator, Hosni Mubarak, of corruption charges.

The Giza Criminal Court handed down the verdict on Thursday, clearing Habib el-Adly of all pending charges.

Adly had been accused of illegally amassing 181 million Egyptian pounds (USD 23.7 million).

Following the ruling, Farid al-Deeb, Adley’s lawyer, said his client should be freed as there were no cases against him.

Adly was also acquitted of other charges in previous trials, including the alleged killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended Mubarak’s decades-long rule.

This comes as Egyptian courts have already dropped a murder charge against the toppled president in connection with the deaths of some of the roughly 800 demonstrators during the uprising.

Several Mubarak-era officials have been cleared of charges of corruption as well as having a hand in the killing of anti-Mubarak protesters. This is while some human rights activists and protest leaders have been handed down lengthy terms for protests over the past year.

The 2011 revolution, which began on January 25, led to the overthrow of Mubarak. In an election after Mubarak’s ouster, Muslim Brotherhood-backed Mohamed Morsi was elected president.

Morsi was later ousted in a military coup led by former military chief and current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in July 2013.

The Egyptian government has been cracking down on any opposition since Morsi was ousted, and Sisi has been accused of leading the suppression of Morsi supporters, as hundreds of them have been killed in clashes with Egyptian security forces.

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