Mubarak-era finance minister Youssef Boutros Ghali acquitted of corruption charges

CAIRO – 6 July 2023: A Cairo court has acquitted Mubarak-era finance minister Youssef Boutros Ghali from charges in the case known in media as the “customs corruption” case.

In 2011, a Cairo criminal court sentenced Ghali in absentia to 15 years in prison over squandering public money by using cars held in customs.

At the time, the court also ordered dismissing Ghali from his job as the finance minister and obliging him to return LE 35.79 million, the cost of the cars he allegedly took from customs without their owners’ permission.

The court also fined him another LE 35.79 million.

In the case, the Public Prosecution charged Ghali with issuing the ministerial decree no. 165 of 2005, by which he allegedly used 102 cars seized in the customs with a value of LE 35.79 million.

Last year, a Cairo court acquitted Ghali of charges in another case known in media as the “German license plates deal case.” This came a year after he was handed a 10-year-prison sentence in absentia in the case.

In the latter case, Ghali was charged with squandering public funds.

Ghali fled Egypt in 2011 and lives currently in the United Kingdom.