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Egypt acquits Mubarak-era oil minister over Israel gas deal

Xinhua, February 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

An Egyptian court acquitted on Saturday the former oil minister Sameh Fahmy and five other ex-officials of corruption and profiteering charges related to exporting natural gas to Israel below market price, official MENA news agency reported.

Fahmy, who served under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, was sentenced in mid-2012 to 15 years in prison over the same charges but the Cassation Court ordered his retrial in March 2013.

Most of Mubarak-era officials have been acquitted of various charges since they were arrested following the ouster of the long-time ruler in 2011, including corruption and killing of peaceful protesters.

In late November 2014, Cairo Criminal Court acquitted Mubarak, his two sons Gamal and Alaa and six of his top security aides, including his interior minister Habib al-Adli, of financial corruption and responsibility for killing protesters in the 2011 uprising.

Although Fahmy's acquittal went on quietly, the acquittals of Mubarak, his sons and aides provoked hundreds of people to protest in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square and other squares nationwide.

Many experts believe that one of the future impacts of the acquittal of Mubarak and his men is that it may make the people have a permanent feeling of injustice and disappointment, especially that current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi served as military intelligence chief under Mubarak. Endit