Mubarak minister jailed for corruption

Ex-tourism minister Zohair Garanah is already serving a five-year term for allowing investors to illegally acquire state land An Egyptian court has sentenced one of Hosni Mubarak’s cabinet ministers to three years in prison after convicting him of corruption. The businessman and former tourism minister Zohair Garanah is already serving a five-year jail term for allowing investors to illegally acquire state land. His first sentence was passed by a Cairo court on 10 May. Under Egyptian law, he will serve the longer of the two sentences. On Thursday, the steel magnate Ahmed Ezz was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of corruption. Ezz was a powerful insider in Mubarak’s now-dissolved ruling party and a close aide to Mubarak’s younger son and one-time heir apparent, Gamal. The former trade minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid, who is at large, was also sentenced to 15 years on Thursday. The trial of Mubarak, Gamal and the former president’s older son, Alaa, is ongoing. Mubarak is charged with complicity in the killing of more than 800 protesters during the 18-day uprising that toppled his 29-year regime in February. Mubarak and his two sons have also been charged with corruption in the same trial. Mubarak’s security chief, Habib el-Adly, became the first of some two dozen detained regime leaders to be convicted when he was sentenced on 5 May to 12 years for money laundering and other corruption charges. Egypt Middle East Africa guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 18, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.