A sudden flurry of activity around former President Hosni Mubarak’s Sharm el-Sheikh home amounts to nothring more than “inventory work and cleaning,” assured a senior security source in South Sinai on Thursday.
It would be impossible for Mubarak to resume residence in his villa if he were to be released soon, the anonymous source told Al-Masry Al-Youm. He added that the judiciary had not yet ruled on Mubarak’s potential release from prison, and that his villa was still under guard because it was a former presidential residence.
The London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat had quoted guards at the Sharm el-Sheikh villa as saying they were preparing for Muabarak's return, as they expected the former president to be released from prison soon after the expiration of his maximum period of detention.
Mubarak's trial began on 13 April 2011. He was charged with responsibility for the killing of protesters during the 25 January revolution, which overthrew him on 11 February 2011.
The trial ended in early June 2012, where Mubarak was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the maximum amount of jail time in Egypt. Mubarak challenged the ruling, and the courts granted him a retrial.
According to Mubarak's defense team, he should be released on 14 April if new charges are not issued against him.
Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah last Sunday ordered that Mubarak stay in detention pending investigations into new charges of squandering public funds.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
