The head of Cairo’s criminal court has postponed the trial of jailed Egyptian steel magnate Ahmed Ezz to 1 April, Al-Ahram reported on Sunday.

Ezz, who had been a leading member of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s now-defunct National Democratic Party, faces accusations of corruption and money laundering.

The delay was reportedly granted upon the request of Ezz’s new defence lawyer, Farid El-Deeb.

Ezz was first referred to Cairo's criminal court last November by Prosecutor-General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud. The former NDP whip is charged with laundering some LE6.4 billion (approximately $1.06 billion), which he is accused of having raised through illicit profiteering, and the illegal appropriation of public funds.

In May, Ezz – who remains under guard at Tora Prison in southern Cairo – was dismissed from his position as chairman of Ezz Dekheila, a subsidiary of Ezz Steel, which is considered one of the region’s largest steel manufacturers.