Egypt's former interior minister, hated for the brutality of his police by the protesters who ousted President Hosni Mubarak, was jailed for 12 years on Thursday for money laundering and profiteering, a judicial source said.

Habib al-Adli is one of the most senior Mubarak-era ministers to be put on trial. His conviction highlights the desire of the generals who now rule Egypt to show their commitment to cracking down on abuse of power and corruption.

Many Egyptians have been closely watching the fate of Adli, one of the most reviled members of the old administration because of the brutality of his police force during the uprising that deposed Mubarak on Feb. 11.

Adli faces separate charges of killing pro-democracy protesters during the revolt and of squandering public funds. A lawyer for one of the committees that charged Adli with murder has said he is seeking the death sentence in that case.

The source said Adli was jailed for seven years for money laundering, with a further five years for profiteering. The source said assets related to this case would be confiscated.

The state news agency gave figures that put the combined value of fines and confiscated assets at 23.2 million Egyptian pounds ($3.9 million).

Several police stations were torched during the uprising, partly because Egyptians were frustrated with a security apparatus that many say was corrupt and acted as if it were above the law.

More than 800 people died in the uprising and thousands were injured, when police fired rubber bullets, live ammunition, water cannon and tear gas at peaceful protesters.

Reuters