Lawyer denies reports Egypt's Mubarak in coma
Mubarak's lawyer denies that the former president is in a coma and says he is in good health
Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak wheeled to an ambulance outside the Maadi military hospital in Cairo, 27 Sept. after returning from the court (AFP)
Published date: 13 February 2015 04:30 GMT
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Last update: 9 years 2 months ago
The lawyer of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on Saturday refuted allegations that his clients has slipped into a coma, saying that the octogenarian was in good health.
"Every time the [former] president's trial approaches, rumors of him falling ill or slipping into a coma begin to surface, which are categorically untrue," Mubarak's lawyer Farid al-Deeb told Anadolu Agency on the phone.
"His [health] condition is good and stable," he confirmed.
Citing unnamed medical sources, local media claimed Saturday that Mubarak had slipped in a coma.
After ruling Egypt for almost thirty years, Mubarak was toppled in 2011, following 18 days of demonstrations on the streets of Egypt during the Arab Spring. He was replaced in August 2012 when deposed president Mohamed Morsi, leader of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood, appointed his first cabinet.
An Egyptian court is set to issue a verdict on 29 November in the retrial of Mubarak, ex-interior minister Habib al-Adly and six former top security officials on charges of ordering the murder of hundreds of protesters during that 18 day uprising.
Al-Deeb declined to speak about the expected verdict.
"We have done our job and we are waiting for the ruling," he said.
In late 2012, Mubarak and al-Adly were both sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering the murder of demonstrators during the uprising.
The court later ordered a retrial, however, after the former president's lawyers successfully appealed the sentence.
Whether or not Mubarak is in a coma remains to be seen but there is little doubt that he has suffered a bout of health problems in recent years. In June 2011 his defence layer confirmed that Mubarak had stomach cancer and that the tumours were growing.
In June 2012 he was also reported to have had a heart attack after being transfered from prison.
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