A military armored vehicle guards the Maadi military hospital in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday (Photo: AP)
A judiciary source told state radio that the prosecutor-general, Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud, did not pre-approve the moving of ousted president Hosni Mubarak from Tora Prison hospital to Maadi Military Hospital. The statement of the judiciary source implies that Mubarak was moved yesterday illegally.
The statement came on the back of news last night of Mubarak being "clinically dead" after suffering a stroke. Egypt’s state TV announced that he was transfered Tuesday night from Tora Prison Hospital to a military hospital in Maadi. But news of his condition turned out to be inaccurate. General Said Abbas, a member of the ruling military council, told Reuters that the imprisoned former president had suffered a stroke but added: "Any talk of him being clinically dead is nonsense."
The plan to move Mubarak to Maadi Military Hospital had been underway for a few days — effectively, since his arrival at Tora Prison hospital 2 June, after being sentenced to life imprisonment for participating in the crime of killing protesters during last year's 18-day uprising against his rule.
Mubarak has been portrayed by officials as being in poor health for the past year. He was wheeled in and out of court during his trial on a hospital stretcher.
Mubarak's legal team has been pressing to have him moved from prison hospital to a better-equipped facility, saying he was not receiving adequate treatment for his condition. However, prison authorities refused to let him be moved.
There has been no clear statement from independent medical experts on what ails the ousted president, though state media reported a variety of illnesses from shortage of breath to heart attacks.
During most of last year, Mubarak was kept at the International Medical Centre, on the outskirts of Cairo, where his health further deteriorated, in part related to old age and in part related to cancer.
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