CAIRO, Aug 29 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's public prosecutor ordered on Monday the release of a wheat silo owner, charged in case of corruption in local wheat procurement, on bail of EGP 500,000, according to state-run MENA news agency.

The defendant Raafat Nosseir faced charges of seizing public funds as per the prosecution's preliminary investigation. He however repaid EGP77 million which is believed to be the amount he unlawfully acquired.

According to MENA, another defendant on the case Ibrahim Hatab was ordered to remain in detention pending investigation as he did not repay the full amount of the money he unlawfully acquired.

The prosecution is currently investigating a number of defendants on the case including parliamentarians and government officials. 

Local wheat suppliers in cooperation with government employees falsified documents to claim EGP621 million worth of grain, about 221,800 tonnes, that does not exist, according to a statement by the prosecution earlier in August

The prosecution said  then that the defendants, who also include silo and storage area owners, unlawfully obtained EGP533 million using the forged documents.

Egypt bought nearly 5 million tonnes of local wheat from local suppliers in the latest procurement season which ended in June.