CAIRO: The prosecutor general has extended the detention of ousted president Hosni Mubarak another 15 days, a judicial source said on Tuesday.
Medical sources said his health has deteriorated.
Mubarak, ousted from power on Feb. 11 after three decades in office, is being questioned as part of investigations into the killing of protesters and embezzlement of public funds. He has denied wrongdoing.
He was first detained on April 13 but has not left a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh where he was taken after suffering health problems during interrogations.
Security measures were tightened in Sharm El-Shiekh International Hospital after the prosecution team arrived to question Mubarak, while a forensic team was expected to arrive soon to check the possibility of transferring the ousted president to Tora Prison Hospital or a military hospital.
Head of Mubarak’s medical team Dr. Assem Azzam told Daily News Egypt that Mubarak’s psychological state worsened before and during the interrogation.
"Mubarak’s deteriorating psychological condition negatively affects his health, especially after refusing to eat," Azzam said. He hardly takes his medication.
Medical sources told DNE that Mubarak’s health deteriorated due to reports of his possible transfer to the Tora Prison Hospital in the near future.
Other medical sources confirmed that the forensic team has not arrived yet. The hospital hasn’t been informed of any transfer order, they added.
The psychological state of Mubarak’s wife and former first lady, Suzanne, has also deteriorated. Sources said she spent most of the time in her husband’s hospital room. –Additional reporting by Reuters.
