The cabinet approved on Tuesday changes to criminal procedures to extend the statute of limitations for bribery.
The decision comes following President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s call for legislative reforms after Saturday’s acquittal of former president Hosni Mubarak, his sons Gamal and Alaa and businessman Hussein Salem. They had been on trial on charges of wasting public funds. The charges are related to the exchange of five villas in the South Sinai resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
The amendments to the criminal procedures now means the statute of limitations for bribery begins when the public employee is no longer employed by the state if an investigation has not already been launched. Previously the crime had to be investigated immediately.
Judge Mahmoud Rashidy, who presided over Mubarak’s trial said during his delivery of the verdict: “in order to fill in the loopholes related to public employees damaging public funds or exploiting their influence and seek shelter in the article that drops these charges the court calls on the legislator to” carry out the amendments announced by the cabinet on Tuesday.
The judge added the court could not rule on charges relating to the murder of protesters during the 25 January Revolution levelled at Mubarak, his former interior minister and four of his aides.
