he sentencing of former Egyptian interior minister Habib Al Adly is likely to prove a milestone. So far, Al Adly has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on corruption and money-laundering charges and has been ordered to pay back more than two million dollars embezzled illegally.
A far more serious charge of ordering police to open fire at protesters for which he could get the death penalty is yet to be decided.
The conviction of Al Adly is also likely to boost the Egyptians’ confidence in the interim military government for meting out justice by punishing the key stakeholders of the Mubarak regime. The trial of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and his sons is also on the cards. Mubarak has been in the hospital for some time but is likely to be sent to prison. In all likelihood the people are going to press Cairo to put the former president on trial. Mubarak had allegedly amassed billions of dollars. His ill-gotten private wealth is Egyptian property according to the masses, who are demanding that the wealth be returned to the state and the culprit be given exemplary punishment. In addition, the blood of hundreds of protesters is to be accounted for who died at the hands of Mubarak’s forces.
Today, Egyptian politics is at a crossroads. The faith of the people in entrusting the interim government will only be strengthened if the power players of the former regime are brought to justice and the money made from corruption returned to the country. Fed up with years of empty promises and a government that was more interested in oppressing people’s rights and lining its own pockets, thanks to a top-down corrupt administration, the Egyptians chose to bring about a change. The sacrifices made are not likely to be forgotten so soon. In addition, the Egyptian politicians are likely to determine the course of their actions by the mood on the street. So far, the Egyptians want accountability from their past rulers. Their expectations from the future leadership stem from past grievances and they do hope for more honest and effective governance where the common man’s aspirations are met and not throttled. The economic hardships faced by the man on the street are also a major challenge that any new leadership will have to contend with.
It may be a good idea that the prosecutors speed up efforts and have the former regime return the money made at the expense of the state and 
the people