Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud on Tuesday challenged court rulings that acquitted three ex-ministers and a businessman of charges of squandering public funds. The public prosecution said the reasons for their acquittal do not relate to the charges brought against them during the investigations. The Cairo Criminal Court had, on Tuesday, acquitted former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali and former Information Minister Anas al-Fiqqi of the charges. They were accused of spending LE36 million in public funds on a publicity campaign for National Democratic Party parliamentary candidates in the 2010 parliamentary election. The same court on Tuesday also acquitted former Housing Minister Ahmed al-Maghrabi and Akhbar al-Youm chairperson Ahdy Fadly of charges related to squandering public money. The public prosecution had charged Maghrabi with selling 113 feddans of state-owned land in 6th of October City to Akhbar al-Youm Investment at a price lower than its fair value. According to the charges, Akhbar al-Youm Investment sold the land to a subsidiary of Palm Hills Construction, in which Maghrabi is a partner. The move brought more than LE159 million in profit for Maghrabi and the purchasing company. The same transaction cost the state LE272 million in lost funds, prosecutors say. The Court of Cassation has the authority to decline the attorney general's request or accept it and order that suspects be retried. Translated from the Arabic Edition
