Cairo: Egypt's former Finance Minister Yussef Boutros Ghali was on Saturday sentenced in absentia to 30 years in prison on charges of corruption and embezzlement of public money.
Ghali was awarded 15 years for squandering public money by using cars held in customs and 15 years for abusing his position to benefit from ministry funds by Judge Magdi Ghoneim of the Cairo criminal court, Al Arabiya reported.
Ghali is among several ministers of the Hosni Mubarak regime to be brought to justice in post-revolution Egypt which is now investigating charges of corruption on officials of the previous government, including the ousted president.
Former interior minister Habib al-Adly was earlier sent to 12 years in prison on corruption charges. He is facing another trial on charges that he ordered the killing of peaceful protesters during the anti-Mubarak demonstrations.
Ghali is out of Egypt and was sentenced in absentia.
Besides awarding him prison terms, the court also ordered the former minister to return $ 5.05 million to the government and pay an additional $ 5.05 million in fines.
Among the charges he was found guilty of was using 102 cars waiting in customs for personal use - in an action which "greatly harmed financial interests" of their owners.
He was also sentenced for having used the finance ministry's resources for his electoral campaign.
Former President Mubarak, who was ousted on February 11, and is under detention at a hospital in Sharm-el-Sheikh, is also set to face a criminal court in August. His two sons - Alaa and Gamal - too will face trial on charges of corruption and for killing of protesters.
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