The Cairo Court of Cassation on Wednesday accepted appeals filed by former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.
The decision overturned a Cairo Criminal Court ruling that sentenced both men to prison after finding the officials guilty of illegal profiteering and overcharging the state. Prosecutors said the men signed a contract with German company Utsch to make license plates at above-market rates without offering the tender at a public auction.
The case became known in the media as the "license plates trial."
Adly was handed down 10 years of hard labor and imprisonment, while Nazif received five years of hard labor and jail time. They were also collectively fined over LE1.56 million and forced to resign from office.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
