Mubarak sentence lost track of facts, Egyptians in UAE say

Abu Dhabi: Egyptians in the UAE expressed confidence in their country’s legal system but said the verdict issued on Saturday against former president Hosni Mubarak betrayed more emotion than factual findings.

“As an Egyptian, I believe in Egyptian judges’ integrity, and I know that any sentence is given following many phases; probes are based on facts and evidence, not on emotional judgement. However I find it very strange that the minister of interior was convicted and not his assistants. Did he give orders directly without going through the chain of officials under his command?” one resident Gulf News.

Omar Abdullah, 30, found it rather odd that Mubarak’s sons had been acquitted. “This is a political sentence — the court should either acquit them all or sentence them all. The sentence is just to satisfy angry people and opens the door for Mubarak and Al Adly during the appeal stage,” he said.

Ahmad Mohammad, 27, seemed to share the view. “I find this sentence a diplomatic one that opens the door to suspicion and doubt and raises lots of questions. How can this sentence let off executives who functioned under Mubarak? This means that, after the elections, Mubarak will be freed from jail. The defence lawyers hold the responsibility for such a sentence. They were not unified and didn’t cooperate as they should have, compared to the prosecutors,” he said.

Mohamad Mustafa, 43, said he believed the judge didn’t give Mubarak the death penalty due to his age, but at the same time found it strange that the court acquitted five officials who answered to Al Adly. “This will create chaos and I hope that we all honour the judge’s sentence,” he said.

Heba Hammad, 48, said he resented the sentence and feared its consequences. “This is unfair. Mubarak and all of the accused should have had the death penalty. It’s enough that he is in an air-conditioned 500-square-metre jail cell with a gym and swimming pool. This in itself is not equitable and is provocative. People are angry and I hope we won’t suffer from more chaos in the country,” she said.