Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are to face trial on August 3 on charges of ordering the killing of protesters and fraud, a judicial source told AFP Wednesday. The trio will be tried by the North Cairo criminal court and the hearing will be presided by Judge Ahmed Rifat, the source said.
Businessman Hussein Salem, a close associate of the Mubaraks, is to face trial on the same date on the same charges, the source said. Mubarak has been in custody in hospital since April 13 after reportedly suffering a heart attack during questioning about the killing of anti-regime protesters and fraud. The spectacular fall of one of the region's most powerful leaders after 18 days of nation-wide anti-regime protests was followed by repeated calls for him to be tried.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power when Mubarak was ousted on February 11, has vowed to bring to justice all those found guilty of abuse, but has been criticised for its handling of the transitional phase.
A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, perhaps the country's best organised political movement, said fixing a trial date for Mubarak showed justice appeared to be running its course.
The murder charges may lead to a death sentence if he is found guilty, the justice minister said earlier this month. Mubarak's security chief Habib al-Adly has already been sentenced to 12 years in jail for corruption and faces another trial on charges of ordering the shootings of demonstrators. An official inquiry found at least 846 people were killed in the protests, many of them from gunshot wounds. At least 6,000 were injured. The trial date of August 3 coincides with Ramazan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.