Cairo: An Egyptian court on Sunday accepted former president Hosni Mubarak`s appeal against his life sentence and ordered his retrial and that of his sons over the killing of hundreds of pro-democracy protesters demanding his ouster in 2011.
Egypt`s Court of Cassation or appellate court also accepted the appeals of all other defendants in the case -- Mubarak`s top six aides and former interior minister Habeeb al Adly.
Consequently Mubarak, his two sons Ala and Gamaal, al Adly and his top security chiefs will all face a new trial.
Last June, Mubarak and al Adly were sentenced to a life in prison after being convicted for being responsible for the deaths of an estimated 800 protesters.
Six high-ranking security officials were acquitted in the same case, sparking nationwide outrage. The opponents of Mubarak had also termed his life sentence a lighter punishment.
"The court has ruled to accept the appeal filed by the defendants... And orders a retrial," Judge Ahmed Ali Abdel Rahman said reading out the ruling during the brief hearing today.
The ruling sparked cries of cheers from the supporters of the 84-year-old former president who ruled for nearly three decades before being overthrown in a mass uprising.
No date has been set for the retrial.
Yesterday, Mubarak was remanded for 15 days over gifts worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars he and other regime officials allegedly received from a leading newspaper.
At the request of prosecutors, Judge Abdel Rahman had overturned the acquittal of Mubarak, his sons and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem on corruption charges.
Mubarak is alleged to have appropriated 6 million Egyptian pounds in public funds, according to a report in Al Ahram newspaper.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said the trial of Mubarak had been "disappointing" and asked the court to "avoid the mistakes" of the first trial.
PTI
