Egypt: Eight year imprisonment for former minister

The state's higher state security criminal court in Cairo on Thursday sentenced the former finance minister Mohe eddine al-Gharib for 8 years imprisonment with hard labor after he was convicted in fraud and corruption issue.

An Egyptian judicial source said on Thursday that the court decided to fine four of the convicted persons including al-Gharib, the former president of the Customs department Ali Taha, to pay together a sum of 16 million Egyptian pounds ( approximately USD 5.3 million). The source added that the sentences on what so called the " Greater customs case" covered other 9 convicted persons from the customs departments and several businessmen.

Al-Gharib ( 64 year old) was a minister of finance 1996- 1999 in the government of the former prime minister Kamal al-Janzouri.

Meantime, judicial sources said that the court of appeal in Cairo sentenced the businessman Abdul Hakim Abdul Naser in absentia for 12 year imprisonment and a guarantee of 80, 000 Sterling pounds ( USD 17,300 ) for issuing false checks. The sources said that Abdul Hakim, the son of the late Egyptian leader Jamal Abdul Nasser, lost four cases filed against him over issuing 11 false checks at a total sum of 75.10 million Egyptian pounds in 1998.