Egypt court orders Hosni Mubarak release from jail
A criminal court in Cairo has decided to release former President Hosni Mubarak pending further investigation of corruption charges against him. Photo: ReutersEgypt\’s former hardline President Hosni Mubarak was ordered released from prison on Wednesday, a move that could potentially stir further unrest in the country riven by political turmoil and violence.
But it is not clear whether he will be freed from prison later on Wednesday. The prosecution may still appeal.
On Wednesday, the court in Cairo ordered the release of Mubarak, his lawyer and judicial sources in the Egyptian capital said.
It also does not mean Mubarak has been acquitted on charges of taking about $11m worth of gifts from Al-Ahram, the state-run newspaper. But it removes the final legal hurdle blocking his release.
The 85-year-old former president was acquitted last week on charges of embezzling money from a fund earmarked for the upkeep of presidential palaces.
He is still facing retrial in connection with charges of killing protesters during the 2011 revolution. He was sentenced to life in prison last year, but a retrial was ordered earlier this year.
Defense attorneys argued that the case against him was weak, something even the first presiding judge, Ahmed Refaat, acknowledged in his verdict: He said there was no direct evidence that Mubarak ordered the killings, but found him guilty of failing to stop the violence.
His next court hearing is scheduled for August 25.
If Mubarak is freed later this week, it would come only six weeks after the armed forces that he once commanded deposed his freely elected successor, the Muslim Brotherhood\’s Mohamed Morsi.
Morsi remains in custody since the army toppled him on July 3, but his supporters have held protests calling for his reinstatement.
Mubarak ruled from 1981 until he was toppled by protesters in February of 2011.
Egypt is under a state of emergency as the interim government cracks down on Islamists opposed to the army\’s ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on 3 July.
Source: Agencies
The Times of Earth ( TOE) founded in 1999, is a multilingual newspaper that is printed and circulated in many countries including some parts of the United States and Canada. It is considered as the largest trusted & respected international multimedia news/financial information source of the world.