Egyptian Court orders release of Hosni Mubarak

An Egyptian court ordered the release of former President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday, a judicial and a security source said, meaning he could leave prison later in the day as there is no longer any legal grounds for his detention.

Mubarak, 85, is being retried on charges of ordering the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his downfall. However, he has already served out the maximum amount of pretrial detention permitted in that case.

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could be freed from prison on Thursday, his lawyer told Reuters, after a court ordered his release in a corruption case that was the last remaining legal grounds for his detention.

Leaving the Cairo prison where the court convened, Fareed El-Deeb said: “The court decided to release him.” Asked when, he said: “Maybe tomorrow”.

Mubarak, 85, is being retried on charges of ordering the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his downfall. However, he has served out the maximum amount of pre-trial detention permitted in that case.

Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison last year for failing to prevent the killing of demonstrators. But a court accepted his appeal earlier this year and ordered a retrial. (Reuters)