CAIRO, Feb 21 (Aswat Masriya) - The Cairo Criminal Court acquitted on Saturday former president Hosni Mubarak's Petroleum Minister of the charge of exporting gas to Israel below market prices.

Former Minister Sameh Fahmy was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the case alongside fugitive businessman Hussein Salem in June 2012. The latter was sentenced in absentia; he was not involved in the retrial.

The court had also sentenced former vice president of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) for gas processing Mahmoud Latif Amer, former vice president of the EGPC for production Hassan Mohamed Akl and former vice president of the EGPC for planning Ismail Hamed Karara to 7 years in prison.

Chairman of the Egyptian National Gas Holding Company Mohamed Ibrahim Youssef was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while chairman of the EGPC Ibrahim Saleh was sentenced to three years.

The five defendants were all acquitted on Saturday.