CAIRO
An Egyptian court on Thursday acquitted toppled president Hosni Mubarak's two sons and his former prime minister of corruption charges.
Mubarak's two sons, Gamal and Alaa, along with former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, were cleared of accusations that they had illegally acquired state land in the Egyptian canal city of Ismailia.
The verdict was met with celebration among Mubarak's supporters attending the trial session before security forces intervened to clear the courtroom.
Meanwhile, the North Cairo Criminal Court threw out a second corruption lawsuit against Shafiq.
Shafiq and ten other defendants had been accused of illegally acquiring public land, which they subsequently used to generate illegal profits of up to 35 million Egyptian pounds (roughly $5 million).
The case dates back to when Shafiq served as civil aviation minister under Mubarak, when he allegedly seized a plot of public land and allocated it to the Pilots' Association for Land Development, which he headed at the time.
In light of the latest acquittals, Shafiq – who came in a close second in Egypt's 2012 presidential poll won by ousted president Mohamed Morsi – no longer faces any criminal charges.
Shafiq was appointed prime minister by Mubarak in a last-ditch attempt to contain popular anger during Egypt's 18-day uprising in January 2011.
Following his electoral defeat last year, Shafiq packed up and left for the United Arab Emirates, where he has remained ever since.
By Iyad Magdi
englishnews@aa.com.tr
