Detention for Mubarak extended

Egypt’s public prosecutor extended Hosni Mubarak’s detention period for another 15 days on Tuesday, pending further investigation into allegations of corruption against the former president.

It was the third such renewal for Mubarak, who is now undergoing treatment for a heart condition at a hospital in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Mubarak, who was forced out of office on Feb. 11 in the face of widespread anti-government protests, will be transferred to a military medical facility “as soon as his health condition stabilizes.”

The former president was first detained for questioning for abuses of power on April 14. The investigations have now widened to Mubarak's role in the deaths of hundreds of protesters shot by police during Egypt’s uprising.

Mubarak denied any wrongdoing in an audio statement released one month ago.

His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, who also recently received a similar 15-day extension of their detention, are being held for questioning at the Tora Prison just south of Cairo. Several of Mubarak's ex-ministers are also being detained in Tora for questioning on charges of corruption, abuse of power and embezzlement of public funds.

Mubarak’s former minister of tourism was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption on Tuesday. Last week, another high-profile Mubarak minister was sentenced to 12 years.

Tora Prison was once home to thousands of Mubarak's political prisoners and was notorious for its torture devices and tiny, dark cells.

Life at Tora for the Mubarak clan, however, may not be that bad, according to the state-run Egyptian Gazette: “Apparently the VIP prisoners have food and drink from the best restaurants in Cairo, plasma screens and satellite dishes and even water pipes.”