The New Cairo Court postponed on Tuesday the trial of former top auditor Hesham Geneina to 21 June to allow the defence to obtain copies of case documents.
Geneina faces charges of publishing false information that could disrupt security and public order.
The charge is directed at the former head of the Central Auditing Organisation (CAO) in relation to Genaina’s statements in which he claimed public funds amounting to EGP 600bn were wasted due to state corruption in 2015.
Following the statements, which were first published in the news in December, the Egyptian presidency denied “press reports” and ordered investigations into the claims.
The former top auditor was dismissed from his position following a presidential decree issued in March. His dismissal was preceded by a “fact finding” committee ordered by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to look into the accuracy of his claims.
The committee concluded that Geneina’s claims were inaccurate and accused him of collecting and withholding important documents on corruption. The committee concluded that Geneina misled the public, lacked credibility, and exaggerated the numbers lost over corruption.
Genena’s lawyer told Daily News Egypt that he could not comment on the accusations pointed towards Geneina until the trial begins. Additionally, he claimed he was confident in the Egyptian judicial system and that the judge would make a fair ruling.
The prosecution decided to release Geneina on bail last Thursday after it referred him to trial. He had previously refused to pay bail claiming that the charges against him were politically motivated and aimed to undermine his reputation. He filed an appeal against his dismissal in May and is currently being reviewed.
Genena was referred to court based on Article 88 of the penal code which stipulates that a person may face up to one year in prison and/or paying a fine between EGP 5,000 and EGP 20,000 for publishing false information that could disrupt national security.
