Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak found guilty of embezzlement

CAIRO, May 21 (UPI) -- Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for embezzling public funds -- second conviction since 2011.

Mubarak may appeal this verdict, like he did in a previous conviction, which linked him to the death of protesters during the national uprising that removed him from office. Mubarak was given a life sentence in that case, which was later overturned by the courts, angering many who saw it as evidence that justice had been served.

Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were also convicted and sentenced to four years for a case linked to the use of $17.6 million for the maintenance of presidential palaces to renovate their own private residences. The three were fined $3 million and have to repay the $17.6 million they were accused of stealing.

The former president was seen sitting on a wheelchair in a caged dock and his two sons stood beside him in white prison clothing. After exonerating Mubarak in the first case, the court ordered that he be released from prison and transferred to a military hospital, where he is being held under house arrest and awaiting retrial.

The verdict comes a week before new presidential elections are held in Egypt, after Mubarak's successor, Mohamed Morsi, was ousted last July. The frontrunner in the elections is former army chief Abdul Fattah Sisi, who was instrumental in the removal of Mubarak.