Pretoria - Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be freed on today but he will be placed under house arrest to avoid more perplexity in the country hit by turmoil since the ouster of his successor Mohamed Morsi last month.
Mubarak will leave the jail after settling his last corruption case of Ahram institution, in which he was charged along with his two sons with misusing power and accepting gifts from governmental institutions via his information minister.
Mubarak, 86, governed Egypt for 30 years until he was overthrown during the uprisings that swept the Arab country in early 2011. He will still be banned from travelling abroad as he faces a retrial on charges of involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2011 unrest that eventually toppled him. The next hearing is slated for Saturday.
As Egypt now enters a month-long state of emergency, analysts say the court’s decision adds more perplexity to Egypt’s political instability.
Mubarak’s release is legal, but the time is very critical, as the Egyptian interim authorities, part of which were serving under Mubarak, are detaining members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Mubarak’s connection with the Egyptian army also adds to concerns over political uncertainty in the country. - SAnews.gov.za-Xinhua
