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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

2 ex-presidents face-to-face in court

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CAIRO: Two former Egyptian presidents appeared on Wednesday in the same Cairo courtroom, with Hosni Mubarak testifying in a retrial of Mohammed Morsi over charges related to prison breaks at the height of the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak. Mubarak was seen walking into the courtroom with a cane along with his two sons Alaa and Gamal. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a dark tie. The hearing took place amid heavy security in a police facility in a southern Cairo suburb. Morsi is implicated in four lengthy trials pertaining to different cases against him, that vary from undermining national security by conspiring with foreign groups and orchestrating a prison break.


Morsi, who was in a white jumpsuit, refused to question Mubarak. The chief judge adjourned the hearings until January 24.


Wednesday’s case is rooted in the 2011 escape of more than 20,000 inmates from Egyptian prisons during the early days of the 18-day uprising.


In June 2015, the Cairo Criminal Court issued sentences of death and life imprisonment against Morsi and other key figures. However, in November 2016, the Court of Cassation, Egypt’s final recourse for appeals in criminal cases, annulled the sentence and ordered a retrial of the defendants.


Mubarak refused to answer some questions, saying he needs permission from the armed forces. He was freed last year, ending nearly six years of legal proceedings against him. — dpa


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