Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Africa
AfricaNewsVideoWorld

Egypt: Hosni Mubarak Acquitted on Corruption Charges

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: CommentsComments (0)


Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been acquitted on corruption charges while the countries deposed democratic leader Mohammed Morsi remains detained.

According to CBS News, longtime leader Mubarak — ousted by an Arab Spring-inspired popular uprising in 2011 — was acquitted Monday of corruption charges by a Cairo court, and his lawyer said he expected him to be freed “within 48 hours.”

Lawyer Fareed El-Deeb confirmed to CBS News producer Alex Ortiz that Mubarak was acquitted on the corruption charges, which stem from allegations that he and his sons embezzled funds for work on presidential palaces.

In spite of El-Deeb’s prediction, however, it remained unclear whether Mubarak would actually be set free. He is still facing charges that he was complicit in the killing of hundreds of protesters by his security forces during the months of turmoil which led to his ouster, CBS reported.

Mubarak was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on those charges in June 2012, but the verdict was challenged on technicalities and the case was retried.

Judicial officials told the Associated Press, that Mubarak cannot be held in custody any longer on those charges because of a two-year limit pending a final verdict, according to CBS.

Police officers killed by militants in Sinai, say officials

The BBC reports that Islamic militants ambushed two mini-buses carrying off-duty policemen in the northern region of Egypt’s Sinai peninsula on Monday, killing 25 of them in a brazen daylight attack.

The killings, which took place near the border town of Rafah, came a day after 36 detainees were killed in clashes with security forces. In all, nearly 1,000 people have died since last Wednesday in conflicts between security forces and supporters of ousted president Morsi.

Tensions between the sides have been high since the military ousted Morsi in a July 3 coup, following days of protests by millions of Egyptians accusing him of abusing his powers and demanding his resignation.

Morsi’s supporters, however, have fought back, staging demonstrations demanding his reinstatement and denouncing the military coup.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top