[ARABNEWS] A former interior minister under Egypt's ousted leader Hosni Mubarak...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
was freed from jail on Wednesday after being cleared of graft charges, the state news agency reported, the latest bigwig of the old regime to be released.
While Egyptian courts have been gradually absolving Mubarak-era figures, they have been handing down lengthy sentences to liberal and conservative activists in cases ranging from political protests to acts of violence.
A court last week acquitted the former minister, Habib Al-Adly, of charges of illegal profiting and squandering 181 million Egyptian pounds ($23.72 million) of public funds.
Adly, 77, a onetime head of Egypt's feared internal security apparatus, was also acquitted last month in a separate graft case along with former prime minister Ahmed Nazif.
Last year a court acquitted Adly, along with Mubarak and six aides, of charges related to the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising which led to their downfall.