CAIRO (AFP)
The trial of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, which was due to resume on Sunday, has been postponed following demands for the appointment of a new judge, the state-run MENA news agency reported.
A new hearing has been set for December 28, MENA said.
“The Cairo criminal court, chaired by Judge Ahmed Refaat, decided to adjourn the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak, his sons Alaa and Gamal, businessman Hussein Salem, former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six of his assistants to December 28,” MENA said.
Lawyers for alleged victims of Mubarak in his murder trial have petitioned the court demanding that judge Refaat be replaced.
“The court has lost its jurisdiction by not administering the sessions in a manner conforming with the course of justice,” one of the victims’ lawyers, Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsud, said on September 24.
MENA said the trial will resume once a decision has been taken on the call to replace Refaat, who has defended the court’s integrity in previous sessions while lashing out at critics.
A new appeals court is due to to renew hearings on the lawyers’ request on November 3, MENA reported. The judges who initially considered the request to remove Refaat recused themselves on Saturday for unspecified reasons.
Mubarak, who was forced to quit in February following massive street protests, has been on trial since August 3 on charges of involvement in the killings of protesters and corruption. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Around 850 people were killed during the revolt which ended his regime.
