Egypt former tourism minister sent to jail for 5 years

Zoheir Garranah, one of many former officials investigated for corruption, jailed for squandering public funds, judicial source says.

Egypt's former Tourism Minister Zoheir Garranah 311 (photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer/Files)
Egypt's former Tourism Minister Zoheir Garranah 311
(photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer/Files)
CAIRO - Egypt's former tourism minister Zoheir Garranah was sent to prison for five years for squandering public funds, a judicial source said on Tuesday.
A criminal court issued the prison sentence and a fine after finding Garranah guilty of handing out tourism licenses illegally, the source said.
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Garranah was one of many former officials investigated for corruption after the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11 in a popular uprising.
Mubarak said last month that accusations of corruption against his family were lies and he had the right to defend his reputation.
In his first public comments since being ousted from power on Feb. 11, Mubarak said information sent to Egypt's public prosecutor would show he owns no financial assets or real estate abroad.
Details of bank accounts owned by his sons Alaa and Gamal would disprove any suspicions of profiteering and illegal gains.
"I will uphold all my legal rights to defend my reputation as well as that of my family both at home and abroad," Mubarak said in a recorded statement carried by Al Arabiya TV.