CAIRO – Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak received a summons to appear before a Cairo court for questioning and special security is being arranged, state-run al-Ahram newspaper quoted the interior minister as saying. The public prosecutor issued the summons on Sunday as part of probes into the killing of protesters and the embezzlement of public funds, but the ousted president said allegations of wrongdoing levelled against him were lies.
The minister, Mansour el-Essawy, said Mubarak would give testimony on accusations directed against him at a court on the eastern outskirts of Cairo, Al-Ahram reported, without saying when he would appear or what the accusations were. Essawy said he did not know what Mubarak’s reply to the summons had been, the newspaper said on Tuesday.
Mubarak’s sons Alaa and Gamal have also been summoned for questioning. Several countries froze assets of Mubarak’s family and some of their associates after he was forced from office by a wave of public indignation at corruption among the political elite. Mubarak has been staying at his residence in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since he was toppled from power on Feb. 11, and he and his family have been banned from travelling while state prosecutors investigate complaints against them.
Justice Minister Mohamed el-Guindy said an Egyptian delegation would travel to a number of foreign countries within days seeking to make an inventory of Mubarak’s assets abroad, al-Ahram said. The minister said Mubarak had agreed to provide to investigators a power of attorney over his bank accounts and assets. (Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by Jon Boyle)
