(AFP FILE PHOTO / TAREK EL-GABASS)
By Amira El-Fekki
The Cairo Criminal Court resumed Monday the trial of former president Mohamed Morsi and 35 co-defendants facing charges for leaking documents related to Egypt’s national security.
The defendants are accused of leaking the documents to foreign agents, including Hamas and Hezbollah. They also stand accused of funding and supporting terrorism in the case publicly known as the “espionage case”, following court hearings on Sunday and Monday, state-run media reported.
The court postponed the case to 22 December, according to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) report Monday.
Monday’s trial was to hear the defence of Morsi’s aides Essam Al-Haddad, former assistant to the president on Foreign Relations and International Cooperation, and his son Gehad. The latter had served as a media spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood and senior adviser to the FJP.
Essam Al-Haddad’s defence argued the defendant has been wrongfully implicated in the case due to the nature of his work.
According to the FJP, Al-Haddad’s defence demanded all records of meetings his clients arranged or participated in be retrieved from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Morsi’s lawyer Montaser Al-Zaeat has been attempting to dismiss charges against the former president on grounds that his detention was illegal, state-owned Al-Ahram said on Sunday.
Other Muslim Brotherhood leaders involved in the case include former Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, his deputies Khairat El-Shater and Mahmoud Ezzat, and leaders of the group’s political wing Saad Al-Katatni, Mohamed Al-Beltagy and Essam El-Erian.
