Politics, World

Egypt court orders release of Mubarak sons

Former president’s two sons had both faced three-year jail terms for committing ‘financial irregularities’ when their father was in power

Mohamed Sabry Emam Muhammed  | 12.10.2015 - Update : 13.10.2015
Egypt court orders release of Mubarak sons

CAIRO

An Egyptian court on Monday ordered the release of former president Hosni Mubarak’s two sons, both of whom had been charged with squandering public funds, a judicial source has said.

In May, the former president and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were all slapped with three-year jail terms for committing “financial irregularities” related to Egypt’s state budget for the maintenance of presidential palaces.

On Monday, however, the North Cairo Criminal Court ordered the release of both of Mubarak’s sons after taking into account time they had already served in detention since their initial arrest in 2011, the judicial source told Anadolu Agency.

Monday’s court order is binding and cannot be appealed.

Farid al-Dib, a lawyer for the younger Mubaraks, said that both Alaa and Gamal would likely be released later on Monday.

The decision to release the two men drew the ire of many Egyptians on social media platforms.

“Mubarak’s sons released. They should just handcuff me instead,” Twitter user Ashraqatu wrote.

“Alaa and Gamal will walk free, while 50,000 innocent people remain behind bars!” political commentator Haitham Abu Khalil, for his part, tweeted.

Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades, was swept from power by a popular uprising in early 2011.

In an earlier court case, his two sons were acquitted of charges of killing protesters during the uprising. Both of them, however, still face corruption charges.

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