A Cairo court has accepted the appeal presented by ex-prime minster Hisham Qandil and reversed his one-year jail sentence.
In September 2013 the Cairo Misdemeanour Court upheld a ruling against Qandil sentencing him to one year in prison for failing to implement an administrative court's verdict ordering the re-nationalisation of the Tanta Flax and Oil Company.
Qandil's attorney Yasser Mohamed Abdou told Ahram Online that the appellate court's verdict was final and could not be appealed, adding that his client was not implicated in any other cases and that his release was expected.
Ahmed El-Beqaly, attorney general in North Giza, confirmed Abdou's comments, saying that Qandil will be released once the court verdict is sent to the prosecution office – unless he is on trial or being investigated in other cases.
A legal source in the appeals court also told Ahram Online that the prosecution cannot appeal the court ruling against Qandil as this is the final appeal.
Qandil was appointed Egypt's prime minster by deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in August 2012 and remained in office until Morsi's ouster on 3 July. He was arrested in December 2013 during what the interior ministry described as an attempt to flee the country to Sudan.
