Egypt Ex-Ministers Jailed for Car Plates Deal

Three Egyptian ex-ministers were sentenced on Tuesday to up to 10 years in jail for profiteering in a case involving a purchase of car number plates, a judicial official told Agence France Presse.

Former interior minister Habib al-Adly was sentenced to five years, while former finance minister Youssef Boutros Ghali got 10 years in absentia and ex-prime minister Ahmed Nazif was given a one-year suspended sentence.

The three were charged with misusing public funds and unlawful gains valued at 92 million Egyptian pounds (15 million dollars), the official said.

Several years ago, Egypt changed the format of its number plates. The men ministers, along with a German businessman, were accused of profiteering from a deal to import the new format, which they bought directly without a public tender as laid down by the law.

They also bought the number plates for higher than their market price.

Adly has already been sentenced to 12 years, then five years on corruption charges, and Ghali was sentenced to 30 years in a separate case.

The trials are part of a broad probe into corruption by the country's new military rulers who took power after president Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising in February.