Egypt's Supreme Court Acquits Hosni Mubarak of Corruption Charges

On Tuesday, January 23, Egypt's Supreme Court acquitted Hosni Mubarak of corruption charges and ordered a retrial of his case. However, it remains unclear whether he will remain in custody until the new trial or be released. According to AFP, following the announcement of the Supreme Court's ruling in Cairo, Mubarak's supporters shouted with joy and proclaimed 'Long live justice.' This court addressed the last set of charges against the former president of Egypt, who was ousted from power in January 2011. According to the Supreme Court's ruling, Alaa and Gamal, Mubarak's sons, and four other defendants were also acquitted of their charges. Last November, another court in Cairo had acquitted Mubarak of murder and complicity in the killing of protesters during the Egyptian uprising that ended his three-decade rule. If Mubarak is released, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is also the former commander of the armed forces, will be accused of reviving Mubarak's regime, which he has denied so far. In May of last year, a lower court sentenced Mubarak to three years in prison for misusing public funds to renovate the presidential palace. This court also sentenced Alaa and Gamal Mubarak to four years in prison. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court did not announce Mubarak's release or the date for his retrial on Tuesday. Egyptian state media quoted a security official stating that Mubarak would remain in custody until a release order is issued. Farid el-Dib, Mubarak's lawyer, told AFP that given that Mubarak 'has been in prison for three years, including pre-trial detention,' he should now be released. He added that Mubarak is currently staying in a military hospital for continued treatment. In 2011, Egyptians held widespread protests demanding Mubarak's trial. After being ousted from the presidency, he resided in a villa in Sharm El-Sheikh by the Red Sea but was arrested and tried two months later. In the trial concerning the killing of protesters, the court initially only convicted the head of Egypt's security agency, stating that the prosecutor should not have included Mubarak's name on the list of defendants. Seven senior security officials, including former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, were acquitted of charges. That court ruling sparked unprecedented protests in Cairo, leading to clashes with police and the deaths of two people. Isander El-Amrani, head of the North Africa section at the International Crisis Group, stated, 'Mubarak's potential release is a double-edged sword for the Sisi government. On one hand, some Egyptians and foreign supporters of Egypt, including Gulf countries, may welcome it. On the other hand, a government that has been accused of perpetuating the previous regime and is vulnerable to criticism must consider the symbolic impact of Hosni Mubarak's release.' General Sisi ousted the government of Mohamed Morsi, Mubarak's Islamist successor, in July 2013 with military intervention. The widespread crackdown on Morsi's supporters in Egypt left 1,400 dead. Thousands of Morsi supporters were arrested, and dozens of them were sentenced to death in mass trials described by the United Nations as 'unprecedented in history.' Human rights organizations reacted to these actions by stating that Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is more autocratic than Hosni Mubarak. The U.S. government, after initially harshly criticizing General Sisi's regime for suppressing Morsi's supporters, now warns its ally in a more admonishing tone. After some time, last month, the U.S. resumed part of its military aid to Egypt and delivered ten Apache helicopters to the country.