Ex-Egypt anti-corruption chief sentenced for spreading false news

CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian military court has sentenced the country’s former anti-corruption chief to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news harmful to the military, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Hisham Genena ran alongside former military chief of staff Sami Anan as a member of his short-lived presidential campaign before the latter was detained in January and accused by the army of running for office without permission, bringing his bid to an end.

Genena was arrested and put under investigation by the military prosecutor in February over comments he allegedly made in an interview with the HuffPost Arabi news website.

In the interview, Genena said Anan possessed documents that were damning of senior Egyptian officials. He gave no details.

Anan’s lawyer criticized Genena and wrote on his Facebook page that the statements Genena had made were “completely untrue.” He did not specify which statements.

The former auditor was beaten up outside his home shortly after Anan’s arrest, and he has accused the government of being behind his assault. Three alleged assailants said Anan’s injuries were the result of a fight after a car accident.