Egypt's ex-minister convicted of fraud charges

The Criminal Court of Giza on Saturday found former minister of tourism Zuhair Jarana guilty of fraud and profiteering during former president Hosni Mubarak's era, thus sentencing him to five years in jail. The court, chaired by Justice Mohammad Darweesh, convicted Jarana of violating the auction laws and facilitating the acquisition of state land in Al-Jamshah area, near the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, by the two businessmen at large Hisham Al-Hatheq and Hussein Sajwani. The court also ruled that the land be returned to the state as a prelude to conciliation with the two investors. Jarana received a similar punishment from the same court in February 2013, but he appealed against the verdict. In December the appellate court accepted his appeal and released him on bail amounting to EGP 100,000 (USD 14,367) pending a retrial. In May 2011, Jarana and the two other accomplices were sentenced to five years in jail and fined EGP 293 million (USD 42.1 million).