Egypt: Former Agric Minister jailed 10 years over corruption

Egypt’s former Agriculture Minister and his office manger have been handed a 10-year prison term after a court found them guilty of corruption.

Salah Eddin Helal was also slapped with a $110,000 fine while his co-accused, Muhyidin Said was fined $55,000.

Helal resigned in September last year when the prosecutor general’s office started investigating some ministry officials suspected of taking bribes in exchange for granting land licences.

Prosecutors said the bribes included a luxury home, membership of an exclusive sports club and high-end clothing.

#Egypt #corruption: Ex-minister Helal jailed for 10yrs after taking bribes to sell land at heavy discount. https://t.co/pnSpULiI02

— Transparency Int'l (@anticorruption) April 11, 2016

A judicial official told the AFP news agency that the businessman who paid the bribe and another who facilitated it, were spared jail because they confessed.

Egypt ranked 88 out of 168 countries on Transparency International’s 2015 Corruption Perception Index.

The 2011 uprising which toppled long time ruler Hosni Mubarak was partially driven by widespread anger at corruption said to be prevalent in Mubarak’s government.

In May 2015, Mubarak and his two sons were found guilty at a retrial of embezzlement and sentenced to three and four years in prison respectively.

Two months later, a former prime minister under Mubarak, Ahmed Nazif, was also sentenced to five years in prison after he was convicted of corruption charges at a retrial.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has promised to make the fight against corruption a priority for his administration.

_News Agencies _