Mubarak-era interior minister cleared of graft charges

CAIRO(AA) - Habib al-Adly, former President Hosni Mubarak’s last interior minister, was reportedly acquitted of corruption charges on Thursday.

According to judicial sources, al-Adly, who served as interior minister from 1997 to 2011, is now set to be released -- along with 10 others -- after being acquitted by an appellate court.

In a statement released after Thursday’s court session, defense lawyer Ashraf Mohieddin called for the immediate release of all defendants in the case in light of the court’s decision.

In April of last year, a Cairo criminal court slapped al-Adly -- along with two others -- with seven years behind bars for corrupt practices during his tenure as interior minister.

Two other defendants in the same case were slapped with five-year jail terms each, while another six got five years each behind bars. Another two were sentenced to three years each in prison.

The sentences were later successfully appealed, however, and all 11 were exonerated with Wednesday’s court ruling.