Mubarak’s information minister jailed for seven years

Hosni Mubarak's powerful information minister has been found guilty of corruption charges and been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Anas al-Fiqqi's conviction on Wednesday is the latest by an Egyptian court of former regime figures, Associated Press reports.

Those already convicted and sentenced include the former interior and tourism ministers, as well as former ruling-party stalwart and steel magnate Ahmed Ezz.

Former state-television chief Osama el-Sheikh was sentenced to five years in the same case as Fiqqi's, Wall Street Journal reports.

Mubarak is still on trial for allegedly ordering the killing of protestors during the 18-day uprising that toppled him from power in February.

His two sons, Alaa and previous heir-apparent, Gamal, are also on trial on corruption charges.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that Egypt's first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Mubarak regime will begin on November 28.

But the announcement by the country's military rulers was greeted with with skepticism by activists who have grown deeply suspicious of the generals' commitment to change.

The military council, which took over from Mubarak as he stepped down in February, promised it would transfer power to civilian rule within six months.