Zuhair Garana acquitted in ‘Companies licenses’ case

CAIRO – 21 April 2019:Cairo Cassation Court acquitted Mubarak-era Minister of Tourism Zuhair Garana of corruption charges in the case known as “Companies’ licenses” on Thursday.

The Cassation Court listened to lawyer Mohamed Abu Shoka's appeal where he claimed that Garana was the best minister of tourism according to tourism records and the high rate of growth achieved during his tenure.

“Garana did not make any profits from his position and worked on increasing the number of tourism companies in Egypt. All the established tourism companies brought huge income to Egypt,” Abu Shoka further elaborated.

It is worth mentioning that the court acquitted Garana and two other defendants of charges of profiteering and squandering public money, cancelling the five-year prison sentence imposed on them.

In March 2014, a Cairo criminal court sentenced Garana to fiveyears in prison after he was found guilty of corruption and violation of auction laws, buying land in the resort “Gamsha” in AinSohkna.He appealed the decision.

Two other defendants were sentenced in absentia to five-years in prison in the same trial.

The prosecution already accused the defendants of several criminal charges including profiteering and squandering public money.

ZuhairGarana, who was the minister of tourism during former President Hosni Mubarak's rule from 2006 to 2011, has been facing a number of corruption-related charges and trials since he left office in 2011.