Prosecution appeals decision to release Alaa, Gamal Mubarak in corruption case

Public Prosecution appealed a criminal court decision to release Alaa and Gamal Mubarak in what has become known as the presidential palaces case, state-owned Al-Ahram gate reported on Wednesday.

Former President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were convicted in May 2014 of squandering LE125 million in state funds to renovate their residential properties. Mubarak was sentenced to three years in prison, while both sons were sentenced to four years and a fine of LE125 million. An appeals court upheld sentences against them earlier this month.

A criminal court decided to release Alaa and Gamal last October, on the basis that their time served in prison covered the sentences handed down to them in the case. Wednesday’s appeal, however, claimed that there had been a miscalculation.

Prosecution said that the Mubaraks’ pre-trial detention period in other cases are not equal to the four-year sentences handed down to them in the “presidential palaces” case, Al-Ahram reported.

Mubarak’s sons still have to serve an additional eight months in prison, the prosecution stated, demanding that the decision to release them be overturned.

Al-Ahram reported that an appeals court will soon set a date to look into the prosecution’s claims.

This is the only sentence that has been upheld against the Mubarak family, as they have been acquitted of all other corruption charges in other cases. Mubarak, his sons, and six of his security aides were also cleared of all charges of killing protesters in 2011 by a court order in 2014, citing procedural errors.