CAIRO: In the second hearing of the trial of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, the judge adjourned the case to Sept. 5 where it will join that of former interior minister Habib Al-Adly and his aides for the crime of killing protesters. In his closing remarks, Presiding Judge Ahmed Refaat also announced that the trial will no longer be aired live, citing “the public good”. Al-Adly and six security chiefs are facing charges of ordering the killing of protesters. Mubarak, whose trial started on Aug. 3, is facing similar charges. Along with his two sons Alaa and Gamal, Mubarak is also facing corruption charges. Lawyer Sameh Ashour, who is representing civil rights complainants, requested that the court separate the corruption case from the case killing protesters case. "The killing of the protesters case must be separated from the gas deal case, because there is a danger that a verdict would be issued in one case and not the other," said Ashour, also the former head of the Lawyer's Syndicate. The prosecution's charge sheet against Mubarak included the killing of protesters, corruption relating to facilitating businessman Hussein Salem's acquisition of land in South Sinai and the export of gas to Israel at reduced prices also to the benefit Salem, who is being tried in absentia in the same case. Ashour also requested adding more charges to the gas deal case to guarantee the fairness of the trial, fearing that Israel may resort to international arbitration if the court invalidates the deal. As in the first hearing on Aug. 3, the ousted president was rolled in on a stretcher. His sons, Alaa and Gamal tried to block cameras directed at their father in the dock. Meanwhile, clashes repeatedly erupted between anti- and pro-Mubarak camps outside the Police Academy, where the trial is held. Several injuries were reported. Refaat urged the lawyers representing the martyrs' families to get organized when arguments between them delayed the start of the session. "The lack of organization has prevented the court from holding daily session as it was previously announced," said Refaat. "You have rights, and so do the defendants' lawyers, so please organize yourselves so justice can be served," he added, noting that he had a list of over 100 speakers. Refaat displayed the evidence presented by the prosecution, which included CDs, DVDs, video tapes and a flash memory. The content of the evidence was not disclosed. Defense lawyer Farid El-Deeb representing Mubarak urged the court give the lawyers ample time to closely examine the evidence. El-Deeb also asked for copies of the operations reports of the Egyptian Ambulances Authority which detail the places and times of transferring the martyrs and the injured between Jan. 25 and Jan. 31. The court agreed to his request. The presiding judge also allowed both civil rights and defense teams to review the evidences and documents presented by the prosecution. He ordered the inclusion of the official investigation report presented by the Administrative Monitoring Authority regarding the villas cited in the corruption charges against Mubarak and his sons and the related contracts between Neama Company and Egyptian Engineers Company, both owned by Salem. He also ordered the prosecution to summon four witnesses for the prosecution to testify in the next hearing.
