The lawyer of ousted President Hosni Mubarak has denied reports that he fled Egypt and shut down his law firm. Farid al-Deeb told the independent Dostor news website that he left Cairo for Paris after concluding arguments on behalf of the defendants. Mubarak, the former interior minister and six top security officials face charges of ordering the killing of protesters during last year's uprising. The former president, his two sons and businessman Hussein Salem also face corruption charges. Deeb said he traveled to Paris for heart surgery at Georges Pompidou European Hospital, and had announced his plans while making his concluding arguments Sunday. "I did not abandon my house or close down my firm, I just gave my employees a holiday as a reward for the strenuous efforts they exerted while making my case for President Mubarak," Deeb said. On Monday, state-run news agency MENA reported that Deeb had left Cairo for Beirut after finishing his arguments. Deeb's fervent defense of Mubarak both in court and in the media has turned him into a controversial figure in Egypt. The lawyer argued last week that Mubarak is still Egypt's president despite the mass protests in January last year that forced him to resign. He praised Mubarak's history as a leader and even challenged the legitimacy of his trial, which provoked criticism from the plaintiffs.
