An Egyptian court acquitted the former interior minister under longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak of charges of corruption and money laundering Thursday, a judicial official said.
The verdict in the retrial of Habib el-Adly lifted a 12-year jail term and 15 million Egyptian pound ($2.5 million) fine issued by a court in May 2011.
Al-Adly still faces other retrials, including one on charges of killing protesters during the 2011 popular uprising that toppled Mubarak, as well as another corruption-related case.
The verdict acquitting al-Adly comes one day after a prominent activist of the 2011 revolt was sentenced to 15 years in jail after being convicted of organizing an unauthorized protest and assaulting a policeman. The sentence against Alaa Abdel-Fattah and 24 others drew criticism from international and local human rights groups.
It was the first conviction of a prominent activist since former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi took office as president on Sunday…
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