Cairo An Egyptian court trying former president Hosni Mubarak on charges of killing protesters and abusing power will announce its verdict in the high-profile case in a televised session on June 2.
Presiding judge Ahmad Refaat made the announcement yesterday at the end of a marathon session and said that the verdicts against Mubarak's sons, former interior minister Habib Al Adly and six security aides will also be issued on the same date.
During yesterday's session that ran for nearly 10 hours, the court heard final comments by prosecutors, defendants and lawyers.
Mubarak, who appeared in the session lying on a hospital bed as usual, told Refaat he had nothing to add to his defence lawyer's comments. "I have no comment," Mubarak told the judge. "What the lawyer said is enough."
The prosecutor also showed the court a letter from parliament and the country's chief prosecutor recommending that Mubarak, 83, be transferred to a hospital in a high-security prison in Cairo's outskirts.
Farid Al Deeb, Mubarak's lawyer, denounced the recommendation as illegal, saying it implies interference from the parliament in powers of the judiciary.
Since it started on August 3, the trial has riveted attention inside and outside Egypt.
Mubarak is the first Egyptian ruler to stand trial. He, along with Al Adly and the six former security chiefs are accused of complicity in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 18-day uprising against him. They face the death penalty if convicted.
Meanwhile, Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Jamal, are facing charges of corruption. All defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Mubarak, 83, has been placed under arrest at a luxury medical army centre near Cairo since last August despite an outcry by the opposition.
