22 May 2014

Prison sentence for Mubarak for stealing

4:43 am on 22 May 2014

A court in Egypt has sentenced former president Hosni Mubarak to three years in prison after finding him guilty of embezzling public funds.

Former president Hosni Mubarak in court for sentencing on Wednesday.

Former president Hosni Mubarak in court for sentencing on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were also convicted and sentenced to terms of four years.

They were also fined $US3 million and ordered to repay the $US17.6 million they were accused of stealing.

Mubarak, 86, is also on trial for abuse of power and conspiring in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that forced him to resign.

In August, a court ordered Mubarak's release from prison and transfer to a military hospital in Cairo, where he is being held under house arrest.

In February, the Mubaraks were accused of diverting $US17.6 million meant for maintenance of presidential palaces to renovate their private residences in Cairo and on the coast of the Red Sea, as well as a family farm.

The BBC reports they denied the charge and asserted at the trial that the prosecution's case was "completely unsubstantiated because it never happened".