CAIRO: As the trial of Egypt's ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak continues, Mubarak's defense team, led by Farid el-Deeb, has claimed that there is “no strong evidence” linking the former leader with a money-making deal in which gas was exported to Israel for discounted rate. He said that the deal, which Mubarak is currently under investigation for, was made within a technical committee, and was approved of without the former president's consent. A close associate of the former President, Hussein Salem, is also under investigation for charges in the gas deal. The Spanish government is set to extradite Salem, as well as his daughter and son, due to the pending charges. Mubarak's defense team has vehemently defended the former president, Al-Deeb has also claimed that the former ruler did not order the shooting of peaceful protesters during the 18 days of uprisings that toppled his regime. Al-Deeb praised Mubarak, saying that the court could not convict the man, although activists and families of those killed in January and February last year say he is responsible for the bloodshed. The head lawyer also questioned the legitimacy of the court trying Mubarak, stating that the former ruler should be tried in one of Egypt's military courts, in light of his long military career. The next court hearing is on Sunday. Activists and families of the victims of the uprising have demanded justice, telling Bikyamasr.com from the court they “expect Mubarak to face the same fate as our loved ones for what he did to this country.” Mubarak's two sons, Gamal and Alaa, are also on trial for financial corruption and are accused of using their positions as the president's sons to seal illegal deals, raising the family's fortune to tens of millions of dollars. BM ***Joseph Mayton contributed to this report. ShortURL: http://goo.gl/b0i9g Tags: Corruption, featured, Israel gas deal, Jan 25, Mubarak Trial Section: Egypt, Latest News
