CAIRO, Dec 22 (Aswat Masriya) - Misdemeanor court of New Cairo decided on Thursday to uphold prison sentence against former chief of Central Auditing Organisation (CAO) Hisham Genena.

However, the court also decided not to implement the verdict. 

Defence lawyer Ali Taha told Aswat Masriya that he will file another appeal against the Thursday verdict; describing it as "corrupt, lacking evidence, and consistent with current political settings."

In late July, court sentenced Genena to one year in prison and was ordered to pay a fine of EGP 20,000. Genena's defence team filed an appeal few days later against the verdict.

Genena has been charged with "spreading false news" on the size of governmental corruption, which "disrupted public peace and security."

He said earlier in 2016 that the size of governmental corruption during the period between 2012 and 2015 amounted to EGP 600 billion, based on findings of a detailed study conducted by the CAO.

In July 2015, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi issued a decree that gives him control over the regulatory bodies. The decree was used to expel Genena few months later.

This decree also caused widespread controversy over its constitutionality. Article 215 of the 2014 constitution states that regulatory bodies are independent in both their funding, and management.