Former Egyptian anti-graft official spread ‘false news’

An Egyptian court has convicted the country’s former top anti-corruption official of “spreading false news,” sentencing him to a year in prison and a fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,250) which, if paid along with an additional 10,000 pounds, will allow him to avoid incarceration.
Judge Haitham El-Saghair passed the Thursday verdict against former chief auditor Hesham Genena, who had alleged that massive corruption had cost the country 600 billion pounds ($67.6 billion). 
Genena had led the Central Auditing Organization until he was dismissed by a decree from Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last March. 
“This is the maximum penalty and we will appeal,” defence lawyer Ali Taha said.
Geneina, who did not attend the court session, said last month he had done nothing wrong and his case was being used to discourage others from speaking out in a country he said was increasingly in the grip of security agencies.

Source: Arab News