Mubarak's trial resumes

CAIRO - The trials of Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak, his sons, former Interior Minister Habib el-Adli as well as Adli's six assistants resumed on Monday.

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak lies on a gurney bed while leaving the courtroom at the police academy, where he is on trial, in Cairo Jan 2, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

The toppled president arrived at the Cairo Police Academy at 09: 15 am local time (0715 GMT) to attend his trial, and the trial began at 10:00 am (0800 GMT), according to the state TV.

Mubarak, Adli and the six assistants face charges of giving orders and complicity in killing protesters.

The trial came into recession at 11:30 am (0930 GMT) after the General Prosecutor's first deputy Mustafa Suleiman said the mandated specialists from state TV sent the General Prosecutor a letter saying it is impossible to restore all the damaged live footage broadcasted by them during the unrest.

After the recession, presiding Judge Ahmed Refaat adjourned the trials, which will be resumed Tuesday through Thursday.

During the trial, Adli and one of his aides' lawyers asked for summoning Chief of Staff Sami Anan to testify in the case, and called for releasing all defendants including Mubarak.

They also demanded a statement including all names of the dead and the injured in various squares as well as in front of police stations in Cairo during the unrest.

The civil plaintiffs' lawyers asked the Court to transfer Mubarak to Tora prison.

Outside the court, relatives of those killed in the unrest protested against Mubarak, calling for his execution, while 15 supporters to Mubarak were chanting and waving slogans in support of the ex-president.

The Ministry of Heath sent 15 ambulances stand-by in case of emergency. The police forces intensified their presence around the academy, where the trial was held.

Mubarak, his two sons and businessman Hussein Salem who is being tried in absentia, are charged with accepting and offering bribes, financial corruption, deliberate waste of public funds and abusing presidential authority for profiteering in the case of exporting Egyptian natural gas to Israel.

The trial had been postponed as some plaintiff lawyers demanded the change of presiding judge Ahmed Refaat. The appeal, however, was rejected by Cairo's Court of Appeals on Dec 7, 2011.

Mubarak and his two sons have appeared at court several times since their trial began on Aug 3, 2011. Head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) Hussein Tantawi and former Vice President Omar Suleiman have testified in previous sessions.