Deposed Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for nearly three decades, moved a step closer to freedom on Wednesday after a court here ordered his release, over two years after he was jailed following a popular uprising that ousted him.
A Cairo criminal court accepted an appeal by the 85-year-old former President against a recent detention order he received, setting him free. Meanwhile, Safwat Hegazy, a fiery Salafi preacher, was arrested on libyan border, while Mourad Ali, a spokesman for Brotherhood’s political wing, was detained at the Cairo airport, Egypt’s State-run MENA news agency reported on Wednesday. Hegazy is wanted over charges of instigating violence.
However, the court said Mubarak will be held for 48 hours to give the prosecution a chance to consider whether it will appeal the decision to release him or not. A team of judges from the Northern Cairo misdemeanour court arrived earlier today to Tora Prison, where Mubarak is detained in hospital, to look into the appeal.
Mubarak, who has been on trial since August 2011, has received release orders in all the cases which he is investigated, for spending maximum time in jail for a defendant pending trial. He was released on wednesday pending investigations in a corruption case in which he is accused of illegally receiving millions of pounds worth of gifts from State-run publisher Al-Ahram.
He was sentenced to life in prison last year, but a retrial was ordered earlier this year.