CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court has convicted the country's former top anti-corruption official of "spreading false news," sentencing him to a year in prison and a fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,250) which, if paid along with an additional 10,000 pounds, will allow him to avoid incarceration.

Judge Haitham el-Saghair passed the Thursday verdict against former chief auditor Hesham Genena, who had alleged that massive corruption had cost the country billions of dollars.

Genena had led the Central Auditing Organization until he was dismissed by a decree from Egypt's general-turned politician President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi last March.

Genena alleged last year that corruption had cost the country 600 billion pounds ($67.6 billion).