Former Egyptian president Mubarak sentenced to three years jail time

An Egyptian court sentenced former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons to three years in prison and a fine in a retrial of a corruption case on Saturday (9 May).

Mubarak, 87, was sentenced last year after diverting public funds and using the money to upgrade family properties.

His sons, Gamal and Alaa, were given four-year jail terms in the same case, dubbed the "presidential palaces" affair by Egyptian media.

Mubarak appealed the sentence, leading to the retrial.

The former leader and his sons appeared in the caged dock in Cairo on Saturday, wearing suits and sunglasses.

Some of their supporters shouted in anger as the judge announced the verdict, the Associated Press reported.

The three family members were charged with embezzling $14m (£9.3m) worth of state funds over the course of a decade. The funds were earmarked for the renovation and maintenance costs of Egypt's presidential palaces.

It is currently unclear whether the deposed leader's sentence will include the time he's already served since the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

A lawyer for Mubarak said the decision, by Judge Hassan Hassanin, could be appealed.

On 4 June, Egypt's highest court will decide whether to allow an appeal against a lower court's ruling that dropped murder charges against Mubarak.

Mubarak ruled Egypt for almost 30 years before being ousted from power when mass protests rose against his regime in February 2011 as part of the burgeoning Arab Spring.