Ahmed al-Rayan, mastermind of a notorious pyramid scheme that cost thousands of Egyptians their life's savings in the 1980s, was released on Tuesday after spending 21 years in prison.
Al-Rayan, convicted on fraud charges in 1989, reportedly exited the prison to find no one waiting for him outside.
While in jail, al-Rayan had been denied multiple requests to be transferred to a non-prison hospital for medical treatment. Appeals by al-Rayan's family for his release on parole were also turned down by the Interior Ministry during his lengthy incarceration.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
