In this file photo taken Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, seated left, and his two sons, Gamal Mubarak, far left, and Alaa Mubarak attend a hearing in a courtroom at the Police Academy, Cairo, Egypt (Photo: AP)
The European Union’s highest court, the Court of Justice, has annulled sanctions imposed against the family of late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose funds were frozen in Europe after he was ousted in 2011.
European Union member countries imposed the sanctions on Mubarak and his family in March 2011 based on lawsuits filed against them in Egypt for alleged embezzlement of state funds.
The Court of Justice said on 3 December that “the Council cannot conclude that a listing decision is taken on a sufficiently solid factual basis before having itself verified that the rights of the defence and the right to effective judicial protection were observed.”
The court’s final verdict follows lower court decisions in recent years to dismiss appeals by the family to overturn the asset freeze.
The value of the assets has not been made public.
The former president passed away earlier this year at a Cairo hospital after suffering complications from surgery in February.
He was ousted following massive protests that started in January 2011. Mubarak ruled Egypt from 1981 until 11 February 2011.
Mubarak was arrested two months following his overthrow and stood trial in a number of criminal cases on various charges. He was convicted of corruption in 2015, alongside his sons Alaa and Gamal, for using public funds to renovate family properties.
He had already served his sentence in detention while awaiting trial in other cases.
Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to kill protesters during the popular uprising, but walked free in 2017 after being acquitted on appeal.
His two sons were acquitted earlier this year on charges of stock manipulation.
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