Ten other former high-ranking oil and gas officials also reportedly received shorter jail sentences, according to Reuters.

Head of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company, canceled its natural gas agreement with Israel in April arguing that it had stopped paying its bills.

The 2005 Egypt-Israel gas deal had always been viewed by many Egyptians with great suspicion while critics point out Israel got gas at below market prices making the deal a rip-off for Egypt.

The agreement, which supplied Israel with 40% of its natural gas, caused the country to lose more than US$714 million worth of income, according to AFP. 

After the January 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak from the presidency, the deal came under attack from revolutionary groups and critics who said the deal was one of the former president’s worst crimes. The pipeline was bombed by unknown 14 times causing Egypt to halt the deal a month later.

Israel claims it is paying a fair price for the gas. Israeli officials believe that immediate exploitation of two major natural gas fields off the country’s northern coast could compensate for the loss of Egyptian gas. Israel has already moved to begin exploiting the fields, striking a deal with Cyprus.

Thursday’s sentencing is the latest in a series of cases against Mubarak-era officials, AFP reports, as  former president has been sentenced to life in prison over the killing of some 850 protesters.