Long-time minister of information and secretary-general of the former ruling National Democratic Party, Safwat Al-Sherif, was released Tuesday on LE50,000 bail. On 29 August, after a year-and-a-half of inquiries, the state-affiliated Illicit Gains Authority (IGA) decided to refer Al-Sherif to Cairo Criminal Court for trial. Al-Sherif allegedly obtained some LE300 million in illicit gains by abusing his political status while serving as information minister, speaker of the Shura Council and head of Egypt's Radio and Television Union under the rule of ousted president Hosni Mubarak. The IGA said Al-Sherif and his two sons Ashraf and Ihab had illegally taken possession of 56 villas, chalets and plots of land, worth LE300 million in total. IGA investigations also revealed that Sherif's two sons had used their father's position as minister of information to build a media empire that was able to manipulate television satellite channels. In October, Al-Sherif along with 25 defendants — including members of the now defunct NDP Mohamed Abul-Enein, former parliament speaker Fathi Sorour and ex-minister of manpower Aisha Abdel-Hadi — were acquitted in the “Battle of the Camel” case. The “Battle of the Camel” took place 2 February when plain-clothed assailants, some on horseback and some on camels, violently attacked a sit-in at the flashpoint Tahrir Square, leaving at least 21 protesters dead and hundreds injured. Meanwhile, the appeals of Mubarak, along with former minister of interior Habib Al-Adli, will be ruled on 13 January by Egypt's Court of Cassation regarding their life term for complicity in the killing of protesters during the initial days of the 25 January Revolution that overthrew Mubarak, the outcome of which could see Mubarak retried over the killing of protesters in 2011. Mubarak and Al-Adli were sentenced to life in prison in June after a court ruled they were responsible for the deaths of around 850 people killed when security forces tried to quash the January 2011 uprising against Mubarak. If the court grants their appeals 13 January, they will be granted retrials. Small brawls broke out between supporters and of the deposed president and opponents — mainly families of those martyred in the revolution — during the court session Sunday when Mubarak supporters chanted against the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Adli's attorney, Essam Al-Battawi, said the court did not respond to his request to summon Minister of Defence Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and former intelligence chief Murad Mowafi, according to state-run Al-Ahram newspaper. He claimed the men's testimonies would have affected the outcome of the case. On the other hand, the public prosecution also appealed a verdict in the same case that acquitted Mubarak, his sons Alaa and Gamal, and businessman Hussein Salem of corruption, as well as the acquittal of six top security officials accused of killing protesters during the 18-day uprising. The Court of Cassation will rule on the same date on appeals against corruption charges lodged by Mubarak's sons. Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are currently being held in Tora Prison in Cairo.
