Egypt’s Appeal Court has ordered that South Cairo Criminal Court look into a request filed by former president Hosni Mubarak for his release. The issue will be considered Monday in court at the Police Academy where Mubarak's trial was held.

Mubarak’s lawyer, Fareed El-Dib, handed over a memo pointing out that his clients have spent almost two years in provisional detention, starting 12 April 2011, the day of arrest. The memo called for Mubarak's release.

On 7 April, Prosecutor-General Talaat Abdullah announced that Mubarak would be detained for an additional 15 days pending investigations over new charges related to the illegal use of state funds.

Last June, Mubarak received a life sentence for failing to protect peaceful protesters during the January 2011 revolution, but was granted a retrial in January due to procedural irregularities in the initial trial.

The judge overseeing his retrial recused himself Saturday, referring the case to the Cairo Appeal Court.

Facing retrial along with Mubarak for their role in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising are Mubarak's former interior minister, Habib El-Adly, and six of his aides.

Since his detention in April 2011, the ousted president has claimed health problems and has been moved back and forth from the prison hospital in Tora to Maadi Military Hospital.