Tuesday’s courts: The men of previous regimes

Several courts tried defendants from Egypt’s former two regimes and the current government on Tuesday.

Some of them included former Mubarak-era figures: Cairo Criminal Court heard an appeal in the case of former Housing Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Suleiman, accused of unlawfully granting land to real estate developer Sodic, owned by Magdi Rassekh. Both Suleiman and Rassekh were previously sentenced to five years in prison, but the latter has been a fugitive since. The case was adjourned to February 19 when a sentence is expected.

In a statement to state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, Suleiman said the regime of former President Mohamed Morsi worked on “tarnishing the image of honorable men and implicating them in corruption cases.” Suleiman added he is assured of his innocence, as he believes in the integrity of Egypt's judiciary.

Cairo Criminal Court also heard the case of former Information Minister Anas al-Fiqqy, accused of unlawful gains worth some LE33 million. Fiqqy was released on condition that his place of residence was guaranteed and the case was adjourned until February 20.

According to Al-Ahram, Fiqqy's lawyer Abdel Raouf al-Mahdy demanded his client's release, claiming his detention contradicts due legal process. During the hearing the former minister was reportedly sat in a wheel chair following a bout of nausea.

The former regime of Mohamed Morsi also featured in today's court sessions, with Cairo Criminal Court setting February 16 as the date for the trial of Morsi himself and several other prominent Muslim Brotherhood leaders. They stand accused of conspiring with several foreign groups, including Gazan-based Hamas and Lebanese-based Hezbollah to destabilize Egypt’s security. This is one of a number of cases against the former president.

Meanwhile, the case against four officers accused of killing 37 inmates in a police truck that transferred them to the Abu Zaabal prison facility was adjourned by the Khanka Midsemenour Court, due to the absence of the defendants. Many of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated defendants reportedly denied the accusations during the interrogation, maintaining they were acting in self-defense to prevent an escape attempt.

Other legal cases today included a call for the criminalization of the Rabea sign, cited as a threat to national security. The sign has been used prolifically by Brotherhood supporters since the forced dispersal of their sit-in at the Rabea al-Adaweya area in Cairo in August, when hundreds were killed. The case, heard by an administrative court and proposed by a lawyer, was adjourned to February 18.