Egypt court acquits Mubarak-era PM of corruption charges

Egypt's top appeals court acquitted on Wednesday Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister of corruption charges after overturning his sentence for illegal profiteering.

Ahmed Nazif had been found guilty by two criminal courts in 2012 and 2015 of illegally amassing 64 million Egyptian pounds ($7.2 million) serving under the former president.

Nazif was sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial, and to five years in the second one. He served in the Cabinet from 2004 until the 2011 uprising that forced Mubarak to step down.

Both rulings were cancelled by the court of cassation, the same court that issued Wednesday's final acquittal.

Wednesday's ruling cannot be appealed, a judicial official and Nazif's lawyer Wageeh Abdel Malak said. The court is yet to release its reasoning.

Nazif was also acquitted of corruption charges in a separate case in February last year, after a criminal court had sentenced him to seven years in prison for his alleged role in awarding contracts for new vehicle license plates.

Nazif and other government officials who served under Mubarak were put on trial for corruption after the uprising, however, most have since been acquitted.

Those released include Mubarak's sons, who were convicted with their father of stealing from public funds. The sons were freed in October for time served.

Courts also acquitted senior interior ministry officials over the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising.

Meanwhile, Egyptian police have recently arrested dozens of activists and two journalists as the government leads an unprecedented crackdown on dissidents.

Agencies contributed to this report.