The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Wednesday former presidential chief of staff Mohamed Refaa al Tahtawi to three years in prison for abusing his power while holding his official post.

Tahtawi, who served under deposed president Mohamed Morsi, was found guilty of hiring El Sayed Rifai, who had served a prison sentence related to terrorism charges, to occupy the position of expert in public relations at the presidency.

The court also sentenced Rifai to one year in prison and ordered him to repay the salary he received while working at the presidency.

Rifai had served 15 years in prison for charges of joining a terrorist organization in 1995, possessing weapons, attacking a citizen, and vandalism

The prosecution investigations revealed that Tahtawi appointed Rifai without checking his background first, which is a mandatory procedure.

He also ignored an official report by one of his aides that disclosed Rifai's criminal background.