Egyptian court fines Mubarak, two ex-ministers 90 mln dollars

An Egyptian court on Saturday decided to fine former President Hosni Mubarak and two ministers of his regime a total of 540 million Egyptian pounds (90 million U.S. dollars) for damaging the economy with cutting off the mobile and internet services during the anti-regime protests, state media reported.

The Administrative Court of State Council ordered Mubarak to pay 200 million pounds (33.5 million dollars) to the State treasury, former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif 40 million pounds (6.7 million dollars) and former Interior Minister Habib el-Adli 300 million pounds (50.3 million dollars).

This is the first court conviction against Mubarak since he was forced to step down on Feb. 11 after the 18-day protests.

The fine will be taken from their own assets and will be in compensation for the damage they caused to the economy when they ordered to shut down the mobile and internet services during the nationwide demonstration which erupted on January 25, state news agency MENA reported.

Mubarak's government shut down internet and blocked mobile phone services on Jan. 28, the most violent day of the protests, in a bid to prevent activists from using social network services including Twitter and Facebook to organize the protests.

Mubarak faces more accusations, including ordering the shooting of the peaceful protesters, which could carry the death penalty, and corruption charges. On Tuesday, Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were referred to a criminal court on charges of ordering the killings of protesters and graft.

He has been under custody in a hospital in the Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh since the beginning of investigations against him.

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