Sports minister sentenced to year in jail

Sports Minister Taher Abu Zeid was sentenced to a year in prison with an LE10,000 fine for declining to execute a judicial verdict, reported the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram on Monday.

The Nasr City Misdemeanor Court issued the sentence, finding Abu Zeid guilty of declining to execute a 2013 court order to disband the Shooting Club’s administrative board and cancel its elections.

However, the Sports Ministry says Abu Zeid had in fact executed that order and therefore should not serve jail time, according to a statement by the ministry’s legal office published in the privately owned Al-Watan newspaper.

The sentence would be appealed on the grounds that the minister had disbanded the club’s board and appointed an interim board until elections could be held, the statement said.

The ministry also asserted that Monday's ruling was only preliminary.

Abu Zeid has been in the hot seat since he decided on Saturday to dissolve the long-standing board of the Ahly sports club, referring the board members to the public funds prosecution on accusations of financial corruption.

Interim Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi was quick to dismiss Abu Zeid's decision, and rumors of the minister's resignation were denied.