An Egyptian court acquitted former President Hosni Mubarak today on his latest corruption charge, although he will remain in prison for ordering the repression of protesters in 2011, reported the independent channel Hayat. Mubarak and his two sons, Ala and Gamal were charged with abuse of power and accepting gifts from influential newspaper Al-Ahram through its Information Minister.
The former head of state, forced to resign in 2011 due to heavy protests that shook Egypt during the so-called Arab Spring has at this moment two other legal proceedings pending for corruption and a third one for the death of protesters.
That last charge is the most serious, but are added to illicit enrichment and other damage to public funds related to the sale of gas to Israel.
The former president was sentenced in June 2012 to life in prison during his first trial, in which were also sentenced his two sons, six security officials and businessman Hussein Salem.
However, after that accusation the judges determined the parole for each of the legal proceedings against him and decided to keep him in prison for the corruption case of which he was also acquitted today.
Egyptian Government to Guard Temples and Museums
The Egyptian government imposed by the military announced that it will guard cultural sites located in the capital, under the allegation that they are in imminent danger due to the ongoing conflict between soldiers and Islamist demonstrators.Tourist centers, museums and temples are among the places that the Provisional Government and the military junta that ousted President elect Mohamed Morsi included in the list of protection by military units.
The measure, which political observers saw as a pretext to continue the deployment of armed units in cities like Cairo, is added to the context of decisions taken last Wednesday against Islamist protesters in public squares.
Tanks and other artillery means were used that day within other forms of repression against two protesting groups camping in the capital’s squares, which ended with more than 800 dead.
The demonstrators are demanding the return to power of Morsi, ousted by the military junta last July 3 after being elected in a democratic election in mid-2012.
Via PL