CAIRO: The Prosecutor General referred Tuesday ousted president Hosni Mubarak, his sons Gamal and Alaa and businessman Hussein Salem to the Cairo Criminal Court on charges of killing protestors, misuse of power, incurring damages on public funds, and profiteering.
Mubarak was also referred to Military Prosecution to be questioned on arms deals in accordance with military laws when it comes to issues related to "the interests and secrets of the armed forces."
According to a statement by the General Prosecution, Mubarak was charged with premeditated and attempted murder. He was accused of cooperating with former minister of interior Habib El-Adly and senior police officials to deliberately kill protestors who were demanding the overthrow of the regime, by ordering officers to shoot protesters and run them over with their vehicles.
He is also charged, according to the statement, with accepting gifts as the president, namely a palace and four villas in Sharm El-Sheikh worth LE 40 million, in return for symbolic amounts of money to facilitate Salem’s ownership of millions of meters of state-owned land in South Sinai.
According to the prosecution’s statement, Mubarak was also involved with former the Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmy and Salem in enabling Salem to make over $2 billion in profits by allowing his company to export gas to Israel illegally at prices lower than the production costs. This resulted in losses for the state estimated at $714 million, which mark the difference between the price of gas exported to Israel and international prices.
Sources close to the prosecution told Daily News Egypt that Judge Abdel Aziz Omar is expected to handle Mubarak’s case. Omar is set to schedule a date next week for his trial, which is expected to take place in June.
Gamal and Alaa Mubarak were charged with accepting four villas in Sharm El-Sheikh worth LE 14 million in exchange of using their father’s position to allow Salem to own vast pieces of land in South Sinai.
The prosecution said that the charges against Gamal and Alaa in this case are only the crimes related to their father; other crimes they are accused of committing individually have to do with manipulation of investment funds, Egypt’s debts, privatization of public sector companies, obligatory partnerships in some companies and other financial violations.
The prosecution said that investigations into these charges are ongoing and that the results will be announced when they are complete.
Sources denied reports that Mubarak will be tried before a military court and said that the Military prosecution will only investigate the accusations related to arms deals.
Mubarak and his family were previously banned from travel and placed under house arrest by the Prosecutor General and had their accounts and properties frozen inside and outside Egypt.
The prosecution said that Salem had left the country before it received complaints implicating him. An Interpol arrest warrant has been issued in his name.
Mubarak has been inside Sharm El-Sheikh hospital’s intensive care unit throughout his time in custody pending investigation; medical sources said that his health is stable but that he is depressed.
Medical sources also said that the committee comprising health ministry and forensic doctors have noted in their preliminary report that Mubarak is well enough to be transferred to the prison hospital. The report is supposed to be presented to the Prosecutor General for a final decision.
But Mohamed El-Khatib, head of the South Sinai security directorate, told Daily News Egypt that he wasn’t notified of any transfer order. The forces securing the hospital haven’t been changed since Mubarak was admitted there, he added.
A decision on Mubarak’s detention was expected this week after he completes 45 days Wednesday, the maximum period for remanding a defendant in custody pending investigations.
According to the law, the 45 days cannot be extended without a ruling from the criminal court. If the defendant isn’t referred to court, the law stipulates his release. –Yehia Nassar in South Sinai contributed to this report.
