Egypt court to rule in challenges by Mubarak in Jan

Cairo: A top Egyptian court Sunday said it will rule on January 13 on a petition by ousted president Hosni Mubarak challenging a life-term awarded to him by a lower court for complicity in the killing of over 800 people during last year`s uprising against his despotic rule. The Court of Cassation said it will rule on January 13 on the challenges presented by Mubarak and his ex-interior minister Habib el-Adli to overturn a ruling issued by the Cairo Criminal Court that sentenced them to life in prison on June 2, 2012.

The defendants had presented an appeal to the life sentence they had received for the accusations, state-run MENA news agency reported. The General Prosecution has also contested the acquittal of six of Adli`s security aides in the case. The six former police commanders are ex-chief of Central Security Forces Ahmed Ramzi, ex-chief of public security Adly Fayed, ex-chief of now-disbanded state security agency Hassan Abdel-Rahman, former Cairo security chief Ismail el-Shaer, former Giza security chief Osama el-Marassi and former Sixth of October security chief Omar Faramawi. The ruling issued by the Cairo Criminal Court on June 2 dropped for the "statute of limitations", a criminal charge against Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal and runaway businessman Hussein Salem. Mubarak and his sons were accused of profiteering from purchasing villas owned by Hussein Salem at very low prices against offering facilities to Salem to possess huge stretches of land in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Mubarak`s trial, dubbed by the local media as the "trial of the century", began in August 2011 following the January 25 Revolution that toppled him. In April 2011, Egypt`s prosecutor general ordered Mubarak and both his sons Alaa and Gamal to be remanded in custody for 15 days pending questioning about allegations of corruption and abuse of power. He was then ordered to stand trial on charges of premeditated murder of peaceful protestors during the revolution. The trial officially began on August 3, 2011. On June 2, 2012, Mubarak and Adli were both sentenced to life imprisonment for complicity in killing peaceful protestors during the 18-day revolution. PTI