Secret retrial ON MONDAY the Cairo Criminal Court decided to delay the retrial session of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, his two sons Gamal and Alaa, former interior minister Habib Al-Adli and his six aides and business tycoon Hussein Salem until 8 March. Mubarak, Al-Adli and the latter's aides are charged with killing peaceful protesters during the 25 January Revolution. Mubarak, his two sons and Salem face charges of illicit gains and squandering public funds. Salem, now in Spain, is being tried in absentia. For three successive secret sessions starting on Saturday, the court heard testimonies from several former senior officials who had worked under Mubarak and other officials. On Monday's session, Presidential Guard Head Ahmed Ayman was summoned for testimony, while in the coming session, the court is scheduled to hear the testimony of the head of the Giza police Kamal Al-Daly. On Sunday, the court heard the testimony of Khaled Tharwat, former interior minister deputy in the national security sector. On Saturday, the court heard the testimony of Hamdi Badeen, former head of the military police and current Military Attache to the Egyptian embassy in China. Saturday's session was abruptly halted after Mubarak was subject to a sudden attack of high blood pressure. Both Mubarak and Al-Adli received life sentences in June 2012, however the ruling was contested in January 2013 before the Cassation Court that ordered a retrial of the defendants. Mubarak was released from prison last August after the maximum pre-trial detention period expired, but has been kept under house arrest at a military hospital in Cairo.
No solutions reached THE EGYPTIAN delegation to Ethiopia, headed by Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Mutaleb, returned on Tuesday after it failed to settle issues related to the building of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. After the one-day talks, the ministry said that all suggestions presented by the Egyptian delegation were met with unjustified rejection. In a statement the ministry said the Ethiopian stance proves that Ethiopia does not look at the current problem with sufficient seriousness. Ethiopia said the talks made no progress because of a difference in opinion regarding the involvement of international experts in a proposed committee that would oversee implementing recommendations of a report by the International Panel of Experts in 2013. Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry said Egypt wants to include international experts on this committee. Ethiopia and the Sudan made it clear they see no need for anything more than representatives from the three countries on the proposed committee.There was a series of tripartite talks between the Nile Basin countries in November, December and January, but no settlement was reached.
CAA chairman tried THE CHAIRMAN of the Central Auditing Agency (CAA), Judge Hesham Geneina and two journalists were referred to a criminal court on Sunday on charges of libeling Egypt's Justice Minister Adel Abdel-Hamid. In an article published at the liberal Al-Wafd newspaper last September, the chief editor Magdy Sarhan quoted Geneina as saying that Abdel-Hamid was involved in a financial corruption case. Tahani Ibrahim, a journalist at Al-Wafd, and Sarhan were both referred to court. Last November, Geneina was referred to court on charges of libeling the Chairman of the Cairo Judges Club, Judge Ahmed Al-Zend. According to Geneina, Al-Zend refused to submit the club budget to the CAA. Geneina, one of the leaders of the Independence of the Judiciary movement under former president Hosni Mubarak, chaired the CAA during the term of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Geneina revealed several financial irregularities committed during the one-year rule of the MB.
Policemen protest SCATTERED police protests were held all over the week in at least seven governorates, with officers and security personnel demanding higher wages and better working conditions. On Sunday, dozens of policemen gathered in front of the city security directorate to protest poor working conditions and the lack of a minimum wage. The protesters also called for better health care for themselves and their families. On the same day, around 500 police officers and security personnel blocked the Kafr Al-Sheikh police headquarters and prevented the security director from entering his office. They called for a salary raise and an increase in their monthly risk allowance. Angry policemen criticised the return of the “unjust secret reports” monitoring job performance. The protesters threatened to press for the removal of Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim if their demands are not met.
