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Egypt prosecution challenges acquittal of former interior minister

July 16, 2019 at 12:18 pm

Former Interior Minister Habib Al-Adly can be seen in court in Cairo, Egypt on 28 December 2014 [Amr Sayed/Apaimages]

Egyptian Public Prosecution yesterday challenged a previous court ruling to acquit former Interior Minister Habib Al-Adly and other defendants accused of stealing the ministry’s funds, demanding their retrial, Al-Watan newspaper reported.

The prosecution filed the challenge before the Court of Cassation to abolish the acquittal which was issued in May by the Criminal Court, the paper quoted an unnamed source saying.

According to the source, if the appeal is approved, the Court of Cassation will cancel the acquittal, issue a new verdict or correct the appealed ruling.

If the challenge is rejected, the source said, the court will uphold the ruling and no further appeals can be submitted.

READ: Egypt court upholds life sentence against 22 Muslim Brotherhood members

The defendants, who used to work in the interior ministry along with Al-Adly, faced charges of stealing the ministry’s funds during the period between 2000 to 2011.

The Criminal Court changed the charge from “intentional” to “unintentional negligence” and acquitted the former minister and seven other defendants of corruption. They were all fined 500 Egyptian pounds ($30).

Al-Adly and 11 defendants were originally charged with stealing almost 2.4 billion Egyptian pounds ($0.14 billion).

In January 2018, he was sentenced to seven years in prison, but the court ordered a retrial in which he was later acquitted.

READ: Egypt court reduces Mubarak-era minister’s fine for theft to $29