JURIST - Paper Chase: Egypt court rejects release of Mubarak's sons until trial in September

[JURIST] An Egyptian court on Monday rejected pleas to release two sons of ousted former leader Hosni Mubarak [Al Jazeera profile; JURIST news archive] while they await trial. Their lawyer, Farid el-Deeb, argued that his clients are detained unlawfully because they were arrested for misdemeanor and not for felony which would allow authorities to detain an individual only up to six months, a term that the Mubaraks already served. El-Deeb added that they were discriminated against based on their father's name. Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, along with seven others, were charged [JURIST report] with stock market fraud and using unfair trading practices and illegally manipulating the market. The judge ruled [Reuters report] that the Mubaraks will stay in detention until their corruption trial resumes on September 8 after a summer recess, giving additional time for defense lawyers to examine the case. Travel bans were also extended against the other seven accused, including Yasser El Mallawany and Hassan Heikal, board members and joint chief executives of investment bank EFG-Hermes. Gamal and Alaa Mubarak were arrested last April with their father, and both are on trial for corruption charges associated with Mubarak's former regime.

Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life [JURIST report] after an Egyptian court found him guilty of complicity to kill protesters during the Arab Spring protests [JURIST news archive]. During the protests that resulted in the overturning of Mubarak's 30-year regime, Mubarak ordered government officials to use gunfire and other violent measures to subdue protesters, causing over 850 deaths [JURIST report]. Mubarak's ended in February with the chief prosecutor asking the court in his closing remarks to issue a death sentence [JURIST reports] against the former ruler.