Mubarak's oil minister acquitted in retrial over gas deal with Israel
CAIRO - A former oil minister under ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been ruled innocent of corruption-related charges, Egyptian judicial officials said Saturday.
Sameh Fahmy was accused of squandering public funds and profiteering by exporting natural gas to Israel for prices lower than global market rates.
For many Egyptians, that deal typified the close ties Mubarak forged with Israel and how his associates benefited financially from such deals.
Saturday's retrial verdict comes after Fahmy was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in the original trial in 2012.
