A former finance minister has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by an Egyptian court on charges of squandering public funds. According to Egypt’s state news agency in a Tuesday report, Yousef Boutros-Ghali was found guilty of squandering around $3.6 million (about N571m)during his final years as minister.
Boutros-Ghali is a nephew of former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and is believed to be in London, but was tried anyway. His absence means he is allowed a retrial and all verdicts can be overturned upon his return.
Boutros-Ghali has been convicted on similar charges in past cases. A Cairo court is also due to issue a verdict later this month in a case involving Boutros-Ghali and the country’s former prime minister, Ahmed Nazif, and former interior minister, Habib el-Adly, who are both imprisoned in Cairo.
