Former Egyptian minister of agriculture advisor sentenced for 15- year imprisonment

An Egyptian court yesterday sentenced the legal advisor of the Egyptian former deputy premier and minister of agriculture for 15 year imprisonment and a fine of 2 million Egyptian pounds ( $ 322,000) under the charge of bribe and illegal wealth accumulation.

The southern Cairo criminal court accused advisor Ahmad Abdul Fattah of getting large sums as bribes reaching one million Egyptian pounds from the owner of one rural farm for measures enabling him to own agricultural lands for his company at the Egypt- Alexandria desert lands way.

The court found non-guilty the mediator after he had admitted the bribe, according to article 107 of the criminal sanctions law which exempts the mediator in the bribe accusation from penalty if he admits the incident.

Within the course of its deliberations, the court said that the former minister of agriculture who is linked to many rumors on his close links to Israel, had misled it when he had two testimonies before it. However, the court has not yet decided to take measures against him.