Egypt's ex-president Mubarak to tried in Cairo

The trial of Egyptian former president Hosni Mubarak will be held in Cairo, an Egyptian justice official announced on Thursday.

The trial of Mubarak, his two sons Alaa and Gamal, former interior minister Habib El-Adli, six of his aids and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem, will be held in the building of the General Authority for Investment in the Cairo Expo center, said state news agency MENA, quoting Assistant Justice Minister Mohamed Manei.

The announcement dismissed recent speculation that Mubarak may be tried in Sharm El-Sheikh due to health problems. He has been hospitalized because of heart problems since April.

Mubarak and Habib El-Adli face the charges of ordering to kill peaceful protestors during the massive nationwide demonstrations that toppled the former regime in February.

Gamal and Alaa, Mubarak's two sons who are now detained in Tora Prison in Cairo, face accusations of corruption and squandering public funds.

Preparations including a security plan for the trial are underway, Manei said. A venue for Egyptian and foreign journalists will be chosen, but only the state TV is allowed to shoot the process, he added.

Speedy and public trials of Mubarak and his aides have been one of the top demands of protestors who began their open-ended sit- ins in Cairo and some other major cities since July 8.

But there are concerns that the health condition of the 83-year- old ex-president may prevent him from being moved to Cairo to appear in court.

Deputy Health Minister Abdel-Hamid Abazza said on Tuesday Mubarak suffered from severe depression and refused to eat.

"He completely refuses to eat and just has some juice, so he has lost a lot of weight and becomes weak," he said.

Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years, resigned on Feb. 11 after 18 days of mass protests which left some 846 dead and more than 6,000 injured. The formerly ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) was also disbanded after his fall.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf instructed his ministers to purge all affiliates of the disbanded NDP from their ministries, another move aimed at appeasing protestors. Several thousand leaders in the country's main institutions affiliated to the NDP will reportedly be sacked in a purification movement next week.

Protestors have continued to pressure the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the cabinet to meet their demands. Bloody clashes erupted on July 23 between protestors and supporters of the army in Cairo, leaving more than 300 injured.

Hussein Tantawi, head of the council, blamed foreign groups for funding some youth groups to create chaos in Egypt. The army had already singled out the April 6 Youth Movement for the recent protest.

But more than 20 Egyptian political movements, parties and coalitions from different Islamic, liberal and left trends agreed on Wednesday to organize a rally under the title "Friday of people 's Will."

Egyptians have blamed a widening gap between the rich and poor and their hard life on the corruption of the former regime led by Mubarak.

By far, several senior ex-officials have been sentenced in different corruption cases. Ex-interior minister Adli had been sentenced five years in jail over a car number plate case in July and 12 years in jail in another corruption case in May.

Former finance minister Youssef Boutros Ghali was sentenced to 30 years in prison in absentia on corruption charges on June 4. In May, former interior minister Habib el-Adli was sentenced to 12 years in jail, while former tourism minister Zuheir Garranah and housing minister Ahmed al-Maghrabi got five years in prison respectively.

To show transparency of the trial, Egyptian authorities have decided to allow live broadcasting of the trials of top corrupt officials. But it is not known whether the trial of Mubarak will be aired live.

Some Egyptians say since Mubarak gave up power, he should be pardoned given his old age and service for the country for three decades as the president.