Interior Minister Mansour al-Essawy has ordered an investigation into a visit by former first lady Suzanne Mubarak to Tora Prison on Sunday.
He also ordered an investigation into reports that her son Alaa was allowed to roam freely without handcuffs prior to the beginning of court proceedings in the trial in which he, his brother Gamal and father ousted President Hosni Mubarak are being charged with killing protesters during the 25 January revolution.
Alaa was caught on tape covering a camera lens with his hands to prevent a cameraman from filming his father as he arrived by ambulance to the Police Academy, where the trial is being held.
According to a security source, Suzanne, along with her daughters-in-law Haidi Rasekh and Khadiga al-Gamal and her grandson Omar, visited her sons Gamal and Alaa at the Tora Prison. The source said the visit began at 4:15 pm and extended for three hours, indicating that the visit continued after the usual visitation hours. The source also said the three women and child were allowed to enter the prison in a private car, a further violation of prison regulations.
However, Assistant Interior Minister Mohamed Naguib claimed the visit began at 2:30 pm and that it did not extend beyond the permitted visitation hours.
The source also revealed that despite the transfer of Tora prison warden Ahmed Abdel Razek, his assistant Ayman al-Masry and Mahmoud Nafei, who was responsible for supervising the ward in which the accused are being held, things have not changed in the ward.
The source said the accused are allowed to hold five star Iftar banquets, allowed to roam around after lock-up hours, as well as being allowed to sign contracts for the purchase/sale of their property inside the warden’s office.
Essawy, meanwhile, said that any violations would be met with severe punishment.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
