An Egyptian Court ordered the acquittal of jailed former President Hosni Mubarak's two sons, ruling that the brothers have already served their three-year prison sentences on graft convictions.
The Cairo Criminal Court on Monday ordered the release of Gamal and Alaa Mubarak in an embezzlement case known as "the presidential palaces case," according to Daily News.
The brothers still face trials for accusations of insider trading to gain profit by buying shares of a private bank. Gamal Mubarak was widely expected to succeed Hosni Mubarak before his ouster in 2011, reported Reuters.
"Both defendants have served 43 months in prison, therefore exceeding the three-year sentences that were handed out by the court in May," their attorney, Farid El-Deeb, told the court, according to Ahram Online.
Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were convicted in May this year for embezzling $17.9 million of public funds meant for renovations to the presidential palaces, according to Associated Press. They were handed more than three years of prison sentences.
Hosni Mubarak, who is staying in a military hospital, was ousted from power in February 2011 after massive anti-government protests in the country. He, along with his interior minister, has recently been acquitted of responsibility for the killing of anti-government protesters in 2011.
