CAIRO: Ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his wife, both detained on corruption charges, are to apologize to the people and relinquish their assets in a desperate attempt to secure an amnesty, a press report said. Mubarak is said to be "drafting a letter which will be broadcast on Egyptian and Arabic channels, apologizing on behalf of himself and his family for any offence caused to the people," according to the report published in Tuesday's edition of the independent daily Al-Shorouk. The former president is also to apologize "for any acts which may have stemmed from false information passed on to him by his advisers," Al-Shorouk said, citing Egyptian and Arab official sources. Mubarak and his wife are under arrest in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh after they both reportedly suffered heart attacks during questioning in a graft probe. Mubarak will also say he is ready to hand over his assets to the state, the newspaper said. "The president's letter and his relinquishing of assets are aimed at getting the (ruling) Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to look into an amnesty," it added. A military source told the paper that "many parties, some Egyptian and some Arab, have been mediating on this matter, to take place within an acceptable legal framework." In the letter, Mubarak will argue that he "was once a fighting soldier in the armed forces, defending the nation with no ambition to become president, but tried to carry the responsibility and the burden of the position." He will say that his wife Suzanne "worked on charitable projects in a bid to serve the Egyptian people." The former first lady, who was in hospital in Sharm El-Sheikh waiting to receive cardiac catheterization, handed over her assets to the state on Sunday. She gave three powers of attorney to Assem Al-Gohari, the head of the Illicit Gains Authority, authorizing him to withdraw cash from accounts in two banks in Egypt, and to sell a luxury villa she owns in Cairo, the official MENA news agency said. Mubarak's wife was moved to the intensive care unit on Friday, after suffering a heart attack and briefly losing consciousness, according to the hospital chief. She had been interrogated in a hospital waiting room about a luxury villa she owns in Cairo, as well as LE 20 million (about $3.3 million) held in a bank account. Her husband has been in custody at the same hospital since April 13 when he also reportedly suffered a heart attack during questioning. The authority also remanded Mubarak in custody for a further 15 days on Friday, after a three-hour interrogation. As well as illegally acquiring wealth during his presidency, Mubarak was also asked about having personal control of the $145-million bank account of the Alexandria Library. The former president, 83, is also being questioned about allegations that he ordered the shooting of protesters during the uprising that toppled him in February. He has been in custody at the same Sharm El-Sheikh hospital since April 13 when he too reportedly suffered a heart attack during questioning. His move to a prison hospital has been announced several times but never implemented, and preparations for Mrs. Mubarak's move to prison were underway before she suffered heart problems, in a source of embarrassment for the government. Al-Shorouk said the amnesty request would extend to the Mubarak sons, Alaa and Gamal, who are being held in Cairo's Tora prison on fraud charges, but sources told the paper it was unlikely it would be granted to the sons. The Mubaraks' fall from grace came on Feb. 11, after 18 straight days of nationwide protests against the president's three-decade rule. The half-Welsh Suzanne was seen as the driving force behind plans to have her son Gamal take over the presidency from his father, a highly unpopular prospect in Egypt that sparked repeated angry protests. Mubarak, his wife, his two sons and their wives were banned from travel and their assets ordered frozen shortly after the strongman was overthrown. The two sons are being held along with dozens of officials and businessmen associated with the former regime in Tora prison, which housed political dissidents during the Mubarak era.
