A Cairo court yesterday ruled that the sons of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could be released as their terms have now lapsed in the legal case known in the media as the “presidential palaces case”.
The Cairo Criminal Court decided yesterday to accept the legal challenge submitted by Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, which means their release in light of the absence of any other legal cases against them.
Gamal and Alaa Mubarak had submitted a legal request on the grounds that they have completed their sentence if their pre-trial imprisonment is taken into consideration. They were already held over charges of exploiting their influence.
In response to the court’s decision, the prosecution commented that “the lapse in the criminal proceedings… of the trial of the century does not mean that they [Gamal and Alaa Mubarak] are innocent, therefore their pre-trial detention in this case will not be counted.”
Mubarak family lawyer Farid El-Deeb said that the expiration of the lawsuit in the case serves as acquittal, which allows for the defendants to be released.
El-Deeb said that he expects the legal procedures for their release to take less than 24 hours.