Two prominent Mubarak-era figures, former prime minister Ahmed Nazif and former interior minister Habib El-Adly, were acquitted on Tuesday of corruption charges in relation to a contract to supply government cars with licence plates.

The two men were being retried by a Cairo court after a successful appeal against previous verdicts in the case.

In the original verdict Nazif received a one-year suspended sentence and El-Adly was sentenced to five years in prison.

They were accused in April 2011 of awarding a LE92 million contract for the manufacture of licence plates to a German firm without conducting an open tender as stipulated by law.

Former president Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt with an iron grip for almost 30 years until he was toppled in the 2011 revolution.

El-Adly served as Mubarak's interior minister from 1997 to 2011. He was widely criticised for violating human rights during his tenure.

Nazif was prime minister from 2004 to 2011. He was criticised by many for appointing numerous business leaders to ministerial positions.

Mubarak fired both men in the wake of the January 25 Revolution in a last-minute attempt to appease protesters.

Mubarak, his two sons and many key officials associated with his ruling party have been recently acquitted of charges of murder and corruption, or released due to pre-trial detention limits.

El-Adly faces trial on separate corruption charges.

It is not yet clear whether the court will release him following Tuesday's verdict.

El-Adly was acquitted in November 2014 along with six of his aides and Mubarak himself of killing protesters in the 2011 revolution.

Nazif faces other charges of illicit gains in another retrial that is yet to start , his lawyer Wagih Abdel –Malak told Ahram Online.

Nazif had initially been sentenced to three years in prison and fined LE9 million ($1.5 million) in September 2012 after being found guilty of abusing his political authority to make illicit gains.

He was released in June 2013 pending retrial.