CAIRO: After months of rumours that Egypt ex-president Hosni Mubarak was at death’s door, footage of the toppled leader looking strong and defiant in court stunned many who had cared little about his fate.
The 84-year-old Mubarak who is being held at a military hospital in Cairo, has been treated for a heart condition, fractured ribs, fluid in the lungs, depression and high blood pressure, according to lawyers and official accounts.
At one point last year he was even declared clinically dead as he slipped into a coma.
There were questions over whether he would appear in court for his scheduled retrial. But on Saturday he was in the dock, sitting upright and looking strong. Wearing sunglasses, he waved and smiled at supporters, chatting casually with his two sons Alaa and Gamal who face corruption charges. In the event, the retrial came to an abrupt end with the main judge stepping aside and sending the case to the Court of Appeal, which will then refer it to a new circuit. “I expected to see a sick old man and I expected to feel sorry for him,” said Cairo resident Heba Radwan. “But the pictures of him smiling and waving, they were so provocative.”
His demeanour was in stark contrast to the pictures of a pale and ailing Mubarak at the start of his trial in August 2011.
“Mubarak in top form” read the headline of the state-owned Al Akhbar.
“I was furious when I saw him in the cage,” said Ahmed Al Sayyed, who works at a Cairo cafe.
AFP
