The Egyptian justice ministry decided Monday to refer secretary general of the dissolved lower house of the parliament, Sami Mahran, to the criminal court over charges of misusing power to accumulate illegal gains, official news agency MENA reported.

Investigations revealed that Mahran gained 3.6 million U.S. dollars from unclear sources and used the money to purchase lands and villas, Essam al-Gohari, Egyptian assistant justice minister and head of the Illicit Gains Authority, was quoted by MENA as saying.

The yearlong investigations uncovered that the defendant's wealth increased in a way that did not match his official income, the report added.

Mahran was ordered to pay the money back to the government's treasury, as well as to pay a fine of similar amount, which made the total sum at about 7.2 million U.S. dollars.

Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court on June 14 annulled the People's Assembly, or the lower house of the parliament, as some articles of the parliament election law were unconstitutional. Shortly after he took office, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi ordered the lower house to reconvene, but the decree was rejected by the supreme court.