The North Cairo Criminal Court witnessed a historic ruling against former Egyptian Minister of Finance Yousef Boutros Ghali today. Judge Magdy Ghoneim sentenced the former minister to 30 years in prison. Ghali was given 15 years for squandering public money by using cars held in customs and 15 years for abusing his position to benefit personally from ministry funds. Ghali was accused of taking 102 cars for himself and others. The former minister also illicitly used the printing center of the ministry during his electoral campaign. The court dismissed him from his position and obliged him to return the value of the cars, estimated at 35.8 million EGP (U.S. $6 million). Ghali is currently out of the country. He is one of a string of former ministers, politicians and businessmen to face prosecution over crimes of corruption under the regime of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.