CAIRO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian court for tax evasion sentenced on Saturday a fugitive Egyptian contractor to three years in jail over tax evasion charges, Egypt's state-run MENA news agency reported.
Mohamed Ali, a businessman and an actor, said in online videos last year that he fled to Spain after working with the Egyptian government on construction projects, accusing the Egyptian leadership of corruption.
Although dismissed as "lies and slander," Ali's campaign led to limited anti-government protests in September 2019.
An Egyptian criminal court also sentenced the fugitive contractor in late 2019 to five years in prison over tax evasion and ordered him to return millions of Egyptian pounds.
The court orders against Ali were issued in absentia.
