Mubarak's minister of interior declared a fugitive

Egyptian authorities have announced that former leader Hosni Mubarak’s minister of interior, Habib Al Adly, is a fugitive of the law.

In a statement released to the press, officials denied that Adly had fled the country, but confirmed that he has yet to turn himself in to start serving a seven year sentence.

Adly was up on numerous charges in the aftermath of the 2011 uprising in Egypt. The most serious of those charges was opening fire on protesters during the January protests.

Adly and Mubarak were found innocent of conspiring to kill protesters after military officials gave sworn testimony in the dual’s favour.  

Though Mubarak was sent home earlier last month, his minister was found guilty of corruption and misuse of ministry funds. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and found guilty of using security personnel as unpaid labourers in his personal projects.

His sentencing was done in absentia since, according to Egyptian law, temporary detention cannot exceed the period of 24 months – a law that is often overlooked when the accused are political activists.

The ministry of interior said their former boss may be in his home in a leafy suburb west of Cairo or in a coastal resort his family is known to be at frequently. They however did not give details about the effort they are making to arrest him.

Adly’s lawyer, Mohammed Guindy, confirmed that his client respects the rule of law adding that a ruling in absentia could be revisited and potentially even dismissed.

In the initial days of the 2011 uprising protesters’ main demand was the removal of Habib Al Adly. His security apparatus was known to brutalise detainees, most famously causing the death of Khalid Saeed six months prior – a killing that was credited with sparking the nationwide movement.

Adly was also accused of being involved in the planning of the Two Saints Church bombing in Alexandria on New Year’s Eve of 2011, a crime that shed light on mounting sectarian tensions between Muslims and Copts and the ways in which seeming government apathy allows the tensions to grow.