The Cairo Criminal Court acquitted on Thursday Mubarak-era business tycoon Hussein Salem in his retrial in the case known as the “Israel gas export deal”. The court had previously acquitted Salem and former president Hosni Mubarak in the case but the public prosecutor appealed the acquittal and a retrial was held. The court said Salem has already reconciled with the state and returned money he illegally acquired through the deal. In December 2016, Salem and his family’s lawyer Mahmoud Kebeish submitted a court warning to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and Justice Minister Hossam Abdel Rehim to overturn the freezing of the Salem family’s assets in Egypt.

Source: Egypt Independent May 18, 2017 12:45 UTC