Egypt’s attorney general for public funds charged former prime minister Ahmed Nazif, former finance minister Yousef Boutros Ghali, and former interior minister Habib el-Adly with wasting more than $15 million in public money and with profiteering, the official news agency reported.
Mubarak was forced to step down on Feb. 11 after massive protests against his three decades in power. One of the protesters’ chief complaints was the corruption that pervades the government, its bureaucracy, and virtually all levels of society.
Also driving the campaign to bring the former president and those connected to him to trial are concerns that remnants of the regime could maintain some influence.
Mubarak and his sons were placed in custody Wednesday for 15 days while they are investigated on corruption allegations and over the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the 18-day uprising.
The case involving his prime minister and the two other ex-Cabinet ministers centers on a deal with a German businessman. They are accused of granting him a contract to sell license plates in Egypt without opening up the deal to competitive bidding. The German businessman is also charged with corruption in the case.
Adly is already facing trial on other corruption charges. Egypt’s protest movement also wants to see him prosecuted for rights abuses carried out by the internal security forces that were under his control.
Boutros Ghali, who is outside the country, is a nephew of former UN secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
Nazif served as prime minister since 2004.
Mubarak has remained in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh until he can be transferred to a military hospital. He was hospitalized with unspecified heart problems on Tuesday, the same day his questioning began.
A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the delay in transferring him is primarily related to ensuring Mubarak’s security.