Egypt: Mubarak Trial Postponed Amid Calls To Replace Judge
The trial of deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak which was set to resume on Sunday has been postponed following demands for the appointment of a new judge, state-run news agency MENA reported.
A new hearing has been set for Dec 28, the agency 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 the former Egyptian leader in his murder trial have petitioned the court demanding that judge Refaat be replaced. They claim the judge had announced his opinion in the case before it started. According to them, he threatened to separate the civil action from the criminal, and withholding the witness from their lawyers.