The Cairo Cassation Court acquitted Zakaria Azmy, former chief of staff under Hosni Mubarak, from charges of illicit gain, after a retrial was ordered according to state-run newspaper Al-Ahram. The Mubarak-era strong man is to walk free and can leave the country. He was also ordered to pay a fine of EGP 36m. Azmy spent around 21 months in custody after being imprisoned on 27 May 2011. He was accused of illicitly gaining EGP 598m during his tenure as chief of staff and as a member of the parliament. Following the 2011 revolution, a number of Mubarak-era figures were referred to courts and faced imprisonment on charges of illicit gains and wasting public funds. However, several of them have been recently acquitted after reconciliation with the Illicit Gains Authority. Mubarak himself, his sons Gamal and Alaa, and his minister of interior are walking free. There have recently been amendments to the Illicit Gains Law that allow Mubarak regime figures to cede their wealth to the state in exchange for the dismissal of corruption charges. Azmy was one of the ousted president's closest aides. Azmy and his wife were previously banned from travel and their assets were ordered frozen. In 2011, a list of Azmy's assets was published in state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, and includes a number of villas, apartments, and plots of land in upscale locations throughout the country.
