(AFP File Photo)
By Mariam Iskander
The North Cairo Criminal Court ordered on Monday the release of Alaa and Gamal Mubarak on charges of illicit gains, but the prosecution immediately appealed the decision.
The defendants had submitted an appeal in response to the Illicit Gains Authority’s Sunday order to renew their detention for 15 days, pending investigations in the case of exploiting their father’s presidential influence to amass fortunes inconsistent with their legitimate sources of income.
The decision by the court to release the former president’s sons was immediately appealed by the public prosecutor and a date to review the new appeal is pending. “Mubarak’s sons will remain in custody until the court’s order concerning this appeal is released” said Khaled Bayoumi, a lawyer for the Revolutionary Victims organisation.
The North Cairo Misdemeanour Court ordered on Wednesday the release of former president Hosni Mubarak in the case of illicit gains; the release was appealed by the East Cairo Prosecution.
“They [Mubarak’s sons] are still being tried for the presidential palace case,” added Bayoumi.
Earlier this month the Cairo Criminal Court ordered the release of Alaa and Gamal Mubarak on the charges of killing protesters and by stock market manipulation of shares in of the National Bank of Egypt.
“Police authorities did not do a serious or an efficient role in gathering the information… to build the case; therefore, the cases were weak and the defendants are usually acquitted,” said Bayoumi.
On Monday, the Al-Ahram newspaper reported Mubarak’s former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif was released in a case pertaining to gifts received by the Ministry of Information, however, he remains in custody on unrelated charges.
