Retrial of Safwat el Sherif, his son adjourned to Dec. 13

The Cairo Criminal Court decided on Monday to adjourn to December 13 the re-trial of former Shura Council speaker Safwat el-Sherif and his son Ihab over profiteering and influence peddling charges.

In December, the court of cassation approved a challenge filed by Sherif and his son against a five-year imprisonment sentence.

Under the previously issued sentence, Sherif's son Ashraf - who is on the run - was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment. They were all ordered to re-pay EGP 600 million to the state.

According to investigations by the Illicit Gains Authority (IGA), Sherif, once secretary general for the now-dissolved National Democratic Party, has earned an ill-gotten fortune of EGP 300 million, abusing the posts he held during the rule of former president Hosni Mubarak, including head of the State Information Service, head of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, information minister and Shura Council speaker.

He bought vacant plots, agricultural lands, villas and apartments in several areas nationwide, most of which were state-owned, at trifling prices.

He also received gifts worth EGP 3.5 million from chief editors of national press institutions to let them keep their posts.