A court in Egypt on Wednesday set August 3 as the date for beginning the trial of ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, on charges of corruption and orchestrating the killing of anti-government protesters during the popular unrest that eventually toppled their regime.
Their trial would be held at a criminal court in Cairo. Hussein Salem, a business associate of the Mubaraks, will also be tried alongside the former Egyptian President and his two sons. They could face death penalty if convicted of the charges of premeditated murder of protesters.
Mubarak is currently under detention at a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He was admitted to the hospital after he suffered a heart attack while being questioned by prosecutors about the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the civil unrest and allegations of corruption.
Gamal and Alaa are being held at the Tora prison in the outskirts of Cairo. Gamal, Mubarak’s younger son, was once expected to succeed his father as Egypt’s president. Although Mubarak’s wife Suzanne is also suspected of corruption, she was released on bail last month after she returned a villa in a Cairo suburb as well as $3 million held in local accounts.
Last month, Egyptian state media had quoted the country’s prosecutor general as saying that Mubarak and his sons “have been charged with premeditated murder of some participants in the peaceful protests of the January 25 revolution.”
Mubarak is also accused of of illegally accepting ownership of four villas and a palace at Sharm-El-Sheikh, as well as conspiring with a local businessman to sell gas to Israel at reduced rates with the intention of defrauding the exchequer of several millions of dollars.
The developments come three months after Mubarak was forced to step down from office on February 11 following mass protests across the country against his 30-year rule, handing over control to the military.
About a dozen former ministers and businessmen with links to the Mubarak regime have since been detained and are facing investigations over a number of allegations ranging from corruption and money laundering to abuse of authority and squandering state wealth.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which succeeded Mubarak, has pledged to bring to justice all those guilty of corruption and abuse of power.
Last month, two former ministers in the Mubarak regime was convicted separately on corruption charges and sentenced to long prison terms. While former Tourism Minister Zuhair Garranah received a five-year prison term, ex-Interior Minister Habib al-Adly was sentenced to 12 years in jail.
Adly is also facing separate charges over the killing of anti-government protesters during the unrest. He and six former aides are accused of ordering security forces to open fire on protesters during the uprising. It is estimated that more than 850 protesters were killed in the crackdown, most of them being shot in the head and chest. Adly, however, has denied the charges.
Former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali and former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif are also facing corruption charges related to an ongoing investigation into a $15 million worth deal involving a contract to manufacture license plates for the Interior Ministry. Ghali is currently overseas, but both Nazif and Adly are being held under detention in Tora prison.