Giza Criminal Court acquitted on Wednesday former Mubarak-era Minister of Tourism Zohair Garana and former Housing Minister Ahmed al-Maghraby from charges of profiteering and facilitating the acquisition of state-owned lands.
Both former officials were acquitted by a criminal court in March 2013 of the same charges which include the seizure of state-owned lands in Hurghada.
The ruling was challenged in April 2013 by prosecutors and a retrial was ordered by the Court of Cassation in November 2015.
The reports of the investigative committees of the Central Auditing Organizations, the General Investment Authority and the Tourism Promotion Authority stated that the officials sold the state-owned lands in accordance to the official prices applied at the time of the sale between 1996 and 2008, which was US$1 per square meter, the court said.
The reports have not monitored violations committed by the two officials against state-owned lands, judges added.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
