Egypt court orders retrial for Mubarak-era PM

Cairo – An Egyptian court on Wednesday ordered a final retrial in a corruption case against Ahmed Nazif, who was prime minister under ousted president Hosni Mubarak, state media and his lawyer said.
Nazif, who was sidelined by Mubarak to appease protesters days before the president’s overthrow in February 2011, was convicted of using his position to amass a fortune of $8.2m.
He was sentenced in July to five years in prison in a retrial.
The Court of Cassation on Wednesday accepted to hear his appeal and ordered a retrial from February 3, the official MENA news agency and Nazif’s lawyer Wagih Abdelmalak said.
Its verdict cannot be appealed.
Nazif is alleged to have been involved in corrupt real estate deals and to have received illegal bonuses.
Mubarak and many of his former ministers were put on trial following his overthrow amid popular demands to hold them accountable for years of corruption.
Many of the former regime figures have been acquitted in retrials.
Mubarak and his two sons were sentenced to three years in prison earlier this year for corruption.
But in October a court ordered the release of his sons Alaa and Gamal after having taken into account time served since their arrest in 2011.