Egypt: Hosni Mubarak May be Freed This Week
If all goes well for him, ousted Egyptian autocrat, Hosni Mubarak could walk free from prison by the end of the week. This after an Egyptian court trying the former president cleared him of corruption charges on Monday.
Mubarak, 85, would however continue to be retried over charges of conspiracy to kill demonstrators during the mass protested which rocked the country in February 2011 which led to his ouster. However, he has been granted a bond in that case.
In a third case also related to corruption, Mubarak's lawyers expected that a bond would be granted before the end of this week. It means that his stay in jail may only last till the administrative procedure for his release is complete.
Administrative Procedure Pending, says Lawyer
"All we have left is a simple administrative procedure that should take no more than 48 hours," Mubarak's lawyer, Fareed El-Deeb, is reported to have told Reuters. "He should be freed by the end of the week."
His argument for release is strong as the two-year limit for his detention pending a final verdict for the case ends this month. He was arrested in August 2011.
Back to a Egypt in Crisis
Egypt has been in crisis since his arrest. Islamist Mohamed Morsi who was elected to power after the sacking of Mubarak in 2011 has himself been ousted. His supports have clashed with the military which has left 800 civilians and dozens of security personnel dead.
Smells of Conspiracy
The timing of Mubarak's release is expected to raise eyebrows. Washington Post reports that the release was sure to stir conspiracy theories about the influence of many of Mubarak's long-time cronies in the military bureaucracy. Quoting Hassan Abu Taleb, a political analyst at the al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, the Post said Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters would likely argue that the coup that ousted Morsi led to the release of Mubarak, and paved the way for the return of his regime.
The New York Times in its report however pointed out that it was possible that the authorities would find a way to keep him in detention and his release did not appear imminent.