The Cairo Criminal Court rejected former Information Minister Anas al-Fiqqi’s request to be released from prison, on the grounds that he has been held in detention for longer than allowed by law.
The Illicit Gains Authority had ruled to detain Fiqqi for 15 days pending investigations into illegal gains.
Fiqqi previously served 22 months of a seven year sentence after being found guilty of squandering funds. The Court of Cassation has accepted his appeal and he will be retried in the case.
Defense lawyer Abdel Raouf al-Mahdy filed a complaint with the court saying that now that the first trial was thrown out, Fiqqi was being imprisoned without legal grounds, and has already exceeded the maximum preventative detention period allowed by law.
The defense also submitted a copy of a medical report from Al-Manial University Hospital stating that Fiqqi cannot be sent to prison again due to his health condition.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
