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20:22 GMT
CAIRO, Oct 20 (KUNA) -- Cairo Criminal Court held Sunday a closed-door
hearing for a testimony of ex-prime minister Atef Obeid, part of a retrial of
former president Hosni Mubarak, his two sons and top aides.
The court, chaired by Justice Mahmoud Al-Rashdi, also heard testimonies of
former interior minister Ahmad Jamal Ad-Deen and current oil minister Sharif
Ismail.
Official news agency (MENA) said the court decided to hold a closed-door
hearing "due to national security considerations" because the issues being
raised dealt with exporting of Egyptian gas to Israel with preferential
prices, and the killing of protesters during the January 25, 2011 revolution.
Al-Rashidi was quoted by MENA as saying the court would disclose, following
the hearings, the testimonies "in a way that will not harm the Egyptian
national security."
Besides, Mubarak and his two sons Alaa and Jamal, the defendants include
former interior minister Habib Al-Adly and six of his aides, former prime
minister Ahmad Nazif and Hussein Salem - a business tycoon and Mubarak's
confidant.
They face charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the
revolution of January 25, 2011, profiteering from fraudulent sale of natural
gas to Israel, money laundering, and squandering state funds.
This is a retrial of the icons of the former regime; it started in last May
but was adjourned several times.
In June 2012, Mubarak was proven guilty of conspiring in the killing of
protesters and was sentenced to life imprisonment but his appeal against
conviction was upheld in January 2013; he was cleared of the corruption
charges.
Last August he was released from prison on appeal and the trial resumed,
while his two sons were cleared of graft charges in June, 2012, but were
ordered back to court in last January.
Former interior minister Al-Adly was sentenced in June, 2012, to life
imprisonment for contributing to the killing of protesters, to a 12-years
prison term for money-laundering and profiteering in May, 2012, and to five
years for profiteering in July 2012.
Nazif was given one-year suspended jail sentence for profiteering and
three-year jail sentence and fined nine million Egyptian pounds (USD 1.4
mllion) for illegal enrichment. (end)
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