PHOTO: Former President Hosni Mubarak waves to supporters as he returns to military hospital after his acquittal — Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters
Almost four years after he was forced from power, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has been acquitted of almost all charges in connection with the 2011 uprising and his conduct as President.
Mubarak, Interior Minister Habib El-Adly, and four top security commanders were all found not guilty of killing protesters in 2011.
The men were accused of involvement in the killing of 239 named victims among nearly people who were slain between January 25 and Mubarak’s downfall on February 11.
The former President and his sons Alaa and Gamal were also acquitted of all corruption charges.
Mubarak was accused of selling natural gas to Israel at below-market prices in cooperation with business tycoon Hussein Salem, and he and his sons were also charged with illicit gains from other activities.
Egypt’s Prosecutor-General has said he will appeal the decision to drop the murder charges.
The presiding judge, Mahmoud al-Rashidi, said his acquittal did not absolve Mubarak of the “corruption” and “weakness” of the last years of his 29-year rule. The judge said the goals of the uprising — freedom, bread, and social justice — were justified.
Mubarak was found guilty in June 2012 and sentenced to life imprisonment, but he appealed successfully and a retrial began in April 2013, three months before the military overthrew the Government of Mohamed Morsi.
The 86-year-old former President and his two sons still face three-year prison terms for embezzlement of public funds.
Former Interior Minister El-Adly remains in prison because of a May 2011 conviction for money laundering and profiteering, which led to a seven-year sentence.