Egypt's former tourism minister Zoheir Garana was jailed for five years on Tuesday on charges of corruption, a judicial source said.
Garana, who was sentenced along with two businessmen, was charged with wasting public funds worth US$51 million after authorizing the sale of state-owned land in the Gamsha area in Hurghada for well below the market price.
Garana is the second icon from former President Hosni Mubarak's regime to be sentenced. Former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly was sentenced on Thursday to 12 years in prison after being convicted of money laundering, profiteering and abusing power.
During the proceedings at Giza Criminal Court, a number of journalists were attacked by the defendant's family members, leading to chaos inside the courtroom.
Garana pled not guilty to the crimes, saying the investigation was neither thorough nor adequate.
The defense said that Mubarak, former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and other government officials should have been summoned and charged in the case, accusing them of involvement in the land sale.
Garana's attorney said the former tourism minister was not solely responsible for the decisions, which had been unanimously approved by the Tourism Development Authority's board of directors with Nazif and Mubarak's knowledge.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
