Prosecution challenges Habib al-Adly’s acquittal in corruption case

CAIRO – 15 July 2019: The Public Prosecution has 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.

The prosecution submitted the challenge before the Cassation Court to abolish the acquittal ruling that was issued in May by the Criminal Court, according to anonymous sources that were quoted by Egyptian private newspaper, Al-Watan.

Sources added that the challenge was handed to the Cassation Court within the definite time of submitting the notice of appeals.

In case the appeal was approved, the Cassation Court will cancel the acquittal ruling, and instead issue a new ruling, or correct the appealed ruling. But if the challenge was rejected, the court will uphold the acquittal ruling, which will be non-appealable.

The defendants, who used to work in the Interior Ministry, faced charges of stealing the ministry funds during the period of their assignment, which ran from the year 2000 to 2011.

The Criminal Court changed the accusation to be “unintentional negligence,” and acquitted Adly and seven other defendants off the corruption charges; they were all fined L.E. 500. The court sentenced another defendant called Nabil Khalaf in the same case to 3 years in prison, and fined him similarly. Per the ruling, Khalaf is obliged to pay L.E. 62,120,000.