Court postpones verdict in Qatar espionage case

The trial took place in the heavily fortified Police Academy.

The presiding judge Mohamed Shereen Fahmy did not give a reason for the court’s decision to postpone the trial.

However, a source in the Muslim Brotherhood told Daily News Egypt: “The regime postponed the verdict fearing another wave of condemnation from the international community.”

“There is fear over the upcoming protests on 25 April, which will demonstrate against the transfer of Egyptian land to Saudi Arabia’s authority, so they postponed the verdict to avoid further unrest in the streets,” said the source.

Several political groups and activists have planned to protest on 25 April, to demonstrate their rejection of the latest maritime demarcation which transferred the sovereignty of Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.

Morsi and the other defendants are accused of leaking national security documents and information related to national security to Qatar during Morsi’s presidency.

In September 2014, late prosecutor general Hisham Barakat had referred the defendants to criminal court on charges of illegally obtaining copies of intelligence reports, and confidential reports on the armed forces’ plans. They were also accused of intending to deliver the documents to the Qatari satellite network Al Jazeera.

Morsi received his first prison sentence in the “Presidential Palace clashes” case. He was sentenced to 20 years for inciting violence.

He also received both a death sentence and a life sentence in both the Hamas espionage trial and the prison break trial.