Egypt's presidency issued its first official reaction to Saturday's court verdict in which former autocrat Hosni Mubarak was cleared of corruption and murder charges, saying the president has full confidence in the country's judicial system. The presidency said it would not comment on the court's judicial verdict, in accordance with the constitution that gives the judiciary full independence. However, the presidency gave orders to Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab to look into procedures for compensating the families of those killed and injured in the January 2011 uprising, based on recommendations given by the Cairo criminal court that ruled on Mubarak's case on Saturday. The president also delegated a legislative reform committee to study the court's suggested amendments to criminal procedures. "President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi asserted that the New Egypt born out of the 25 January [2011] and 30 June [2013] revolutions is on its way to establishing a new modern democratic state based on justice, freedom, equality, and counter-corruption," said the statement from the presidency. Mubarak, along with his interior minister Habib El-Adly and six of his aides, was acquitted on charges of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising which ended his 30-year rule. The court also dropped corruption charge against the ousted president and his sons Gamal and Alaa, as well as runaway businessman Hussein Salem. The verdicts sparked protests in downtown Cairo near Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the 2011 uprising, and public universities in several cities. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/116850.aspx
