(AFP File Photo)
The Giza Criminal Court released details of its ruling that acquitted the Mubarak-era Minister of Interior Habib Al-Adly from corruption charges.
The details cited the insincerity of police investigations and non-existence of evidence of abuses of power as the main reasons behind the acquittal.
The court acquitted the former minister who was accused of illicitly obtaining EGP 181m on Thursday.
The Court also ordered that the freeze on the funds of Al-Adly and his family be lifted. Investigations had initially found the former minister guilty of illicit gains and corruption, however, his initial 12-year sentence and EGP 15m fine were lifted.
Details of the acquittal ruling released on Monday reveal the court believed that the police investigations on the defendant were not serious.
The investigations claimed Al-Adly was married to a woman called Anoushka who added her assets to his, a claim the court deemed invalid as it did not have proof for this.
The court also said that the Fact Finding Commission on the 25 January Revolution relied on “theoretical evaluation” of Al-Adly’s assets in its report. It valued the assets with their current commercial value, not with what they were worth when they were purchased.
Al-Adly was acquitted of all accusations of abuse of power by the court, as it also said the investigations claimed he obtained apartments from the Police Officers Housing Association. The court said it was legal as he is a police officer who can benefit from the association’s housing project.
The court acknowledged in the ruling that Al-Adly worked as a police officer, then was promoted to be the interior minister’s assistant of State Security. He was then appointed Minister of Interior, and during his ministerial work he was also a member of the Shura Council, all positions providing him a legally large income.
Al-Adly was acquitted in February along with Mubarak-era prime minister Ahmed Nazif of all charges in the case publicly known as the “licence plates” case. The defendants were charged with “squandering public funds and profiteering”.
Al-Adly was also accused, along with former president Hosni Mubarak, of killing protesters; last November both men were cleared of the accusation.
