Egypt's ex-interior minister denies corruption charges
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Egypt's former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly on Saturday pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundry and profiteering, in the first trial of a member of former president Hosni Mubarak's regime, state media said.
Al-Adly, who was arrested on Feb. 17, was accused of using his position to sell land to a contractor company working for the interior ministry, and more than four million Egyptian pounds was allegedly transferred to his personal account by a head of the company. But al-Adly denied accusations of unlawful acquisitions of public money, the state news agency MENA said.
The first hearing lasted only 15 minutes, and the judge adjourned the trial till April 2 up to the request of his lawyer.
Al-Adly, who led the Interior Ministry and the police forces for nearly 14 years under the rule of former President Mubarak, was a reviled figure during the nationwide protests that ended Mubarak's regime.
Before the session started, dozens of activists and relatives of victims in the protests gathered outside the court complex demanding death penalty for al-Adly.
Bank accounts belonging to al-Adly and his family were frozen earlier last month, and he was banned from traveling abroad together with former Tourism Minister and a senior member of the ruling National Democratic Party.
The 18-day massive protests witnessed bloody clashes between demonstrators and the security forces under al-Adly leadership, which led to at least 365 dead and more than 5,500 injured.
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