Egyptian public and political figures have filed reports with the public prosecutor calling for ousted president Hosni Mubarak to be retried.
Mubarak was recently acquitted in a number of cases and a decision on whether he will be retired remains on hold.
Leading members of the Democratic Current – a coalition of centrist and leftist parties founded after the January 2011 uprising – including member of the National Council for Human Rights George Ishaq, former Manpower minister Ahmed El-Borai, and spokesman of the Constitution party Khaled Dawoud, filed reports with the prosecutor calling for Mubarak to be put on trial for “crimes committed during his rule.”
The group launched a popular campaign last December under the name “Put them on trial” [Hakemohom] after a court dropped charges against Mubarak over his alleged involvement in the killing of protesters in the January 2011 uprising.
They also formed a legal committee to prepare documents needed for any legal action they would take against Mubarak.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transitional Justice is preparing a draft law for the formation of an independent body to investigate “political corruption” since 1981 – the start of Mubarak’s almost 30-year rule. It is not clear if the ousted president will himself be subject to investigation by the new body.
Al-Ahram reported on Sunday that the ministry is preparing a law for the body that would look into political corruption, human rights violations and violence through special courts.
In November, Mubarak was cleared via a statute of limitations in a case of abuse of power and profiteering over receiving villas in a Red Sea resort from exiled businessman Hussein Salem.
He was also cleared of graft charges related to gas exports to Israel at below-market rates.
After having been originally sentenced to life in prison over complicity to kill protesters in 2011, a court dropped these charges last November.
The general-prosecutor has moved to file a further appeal at Egypt’s highest court – the court of cassation.
Mubarak was convicted in May 2014 of embezzling public funds allocated annually for the upkeep of presidential palaces.
Even though he was sentenced to three years, he could be released as he had spent a similar period detained pending trial.
The court decisions sparked anger on the streets and hundreds of protesters took to Tahrir Square in the wake of the verdict, denouncing it at the same spot where they revolted against his autocratic rule in 2011.
Source Ahram online
