Egyptian court begins retrial of Mubarak in corruption case

Reuters
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak lies on a stretcher while being transported ahead of his trial in Cairo September 27, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court began a retrial on Saturday of former president Hosni Mubarak and his sons for allegedly diverting public funds earmarked for the renovation of presidential palaces to upgrade family properties. Mubarak, 86, toppled in a 2011 popular uprising, was sentenced to three years in prison last May and his two sons were given four-year jail terms in the same case. In January, Egypt's high court overturned the conviction against the frail Mubarak, who is currently being treated in a military hospital in Cairo. His two sons were also freed pending retrial. Egyptian state television aired brief footage of Mubarak and his sons inside a cage in the courtroom in the Police Academy. The case was adjourned to April 29. In November, a court dropped charges against Mubarak of conspiring to kill protesters in the 2011 uprising, raising fears among human rights activists that the old guard was making a comeback.