Mubarak’s defense team to take the stage in Cairo

The trial of Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak, his two sons Alaa and Gamal, former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six of his aides, will resume in Cairo on Tuesday. The defense team will begin its arguments to the Cairo court. The Kuwaiti lawyers who came to defend Mubarak will be present only as auditors, according to Mubarak’s lawyer, Farid al-Deeb. The first five days will be dedicated to the team defending Mubarak and his sons, with the remainder to lawyers representing Adly and his six top security chiefs. The last hearing is set for Feb.16. The court is then expected to recess for deliberation after which the judge will set a date for the verdict. “I asked to speak for five sessions, given the complexity of the case,” Deeb was quoted as saying by Egypt’s al-Masry al-Youm. Deeb said that he will present reports by the disbanded State Security and Investigations Service on the Jan. 25 protests. “Why were the defendants brought to trial in the first place if the prosecution said it could not collect evidence as the competent bodies refused to collaborate?” Deeb asked. Mubarak − who is detained in a military hospital for a heart condition − went on trial on Aug. 3, after protesters stepped up demonstrations calling on the ruling military to try him and ex-regime officials. A medical source said last week that Mubarak was in no condition to be carried to the court room every day and that he was expected to miss some sessions. Earlier this month, the chief prosecutor in the trial demanded the death sentence for Mubarak and other defendants, including the former interior minister, for their role in the killing of protesters in the uprising that swept him from power early last year. No official has yet been convicted over the killing of protesters during the 18-day revolt. Mubarak and the other defendants deny any responsibility for the deaths.