Egypt's former housing minister sentenced to five years in prison

Egypt's former housing minister sentenced to five years in prison

2011-05-26 22:48:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAIRO (BNO NEWS) -- Egypt's former housing minister Ahmed El-Maghrabi on Thursday was sentenced to five years in jail for corruption, Ahram online reported.

El-Maghrabi was found guilty of wasting and expropriating public funds to further his private interests. He is the third of ousted president Hosni Mubarak's ministers to receive a jail sentence after the 25 January revolution.

The businessman, Munir Ghabour, received a one-year suspended sentence in the same case and is required to pay 72 million Egyptian pounds ($12 million) in restitution.

On Tuesday, the Prosecutor's General Office referred the case of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons to a criminal court over the killing of protesters. The ousted president will also face charges of misuse of public funds and illicit profiteering.

Mubarak ruled Egypt in a 30-year-long regime which began in 1981. He stepped down this year after weeks of anti-government protests by crowds calling for greater democracy and respect of human rights.

Activists are planning to hold a massive protest in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday to call for a faster democratic change.

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