Morsi's 'jailbreak' trial resumes

Egypt’s ousted president Mohammed Morsi arrived at the Police Academy Saturday morning to attend the second session of the Wadi Al-Natroun jailbreak trial.

Morsi along with 130 other co-defendants are facing myriad charges, including “collaboration with Hamas and Hezbollah to spread chaos in the country” on the early days of the January 25 revolution, storming and vandalizing prisons, setting government buildings on fire, abducting police officers, allowing prisoners to break out of jails, plotting to bring down the state, among other charges.

Morsi has been transported by a helicopter from his prison in Borg Al-Arab in the coastal city of Alexandria.

In the first session of this trial, Morsi refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the court and insisted he remained the “legitimate elected president.”

The General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie is among the defendants, who also include Palestinians and Lebanese tried in absentia.

Legal experts expressed doubts regarding the validity of accusations as some of the Palestinians accused had been either dead or imprisoned by the time of the January 25 revolution.

On Sunday, Morsi is scheduled to attend the second session of the “Grand Espionage” trial. In the first session, the defence team walked out of the court in protest at the use of soundproof glass cages which isolated the defendants from the sessions.

Mohamed El-Damaty, member of the defence team, insisted that his panel will not attend Sunday’s session. Even if the court-appointed lawyers attend, the defendants will not acknowledge them, he affirmed.