CAIRO
Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is staying at Cairo's Maadi Military Hospital "voluntarily" as there is no order for him to remain in custody, a judicial source said Wednesday.
Mubarak – along with his two sons, former interior minister Habib al-Adly, six of the latter's aides and a business mogul – faces charges of killing peaceful demonstrators during the January 2011 uprising that ousted him.
He is also accused of squandering public funds.
However, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that prosecutors had not asked to keep Mubarak under arrest for the trial.
"An order has already been issued for his release since he already served the maximum time legally allowed – two years – for temporary detention," the source said.
Mubarak is also accused of appropriating public funds to renovate private villas and of receiving millions of Egyptian pounds worth of "gifts" from flagship state daily Al-Ahram in the period from 2006 to 2011.
Soon after his release in August, Mubarak was placed under house arrest for security reasons by interim Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi.
However, the source said Mubarak remained under house arrest at the prison hospital where he was receiving medical treatment.
Reliable sources have said that Mubarak was staying at the hospital at the request of state officials due to fears that his release might spark public anger.
The trial of the deposed leader will resume in December when judges will hear testimony from former army chief Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.
By Walid Fouda
englishnews@aa.com.tr
