Egyptian prosecutors called on Saturday for the “maximum punishment” to be applied to former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, during the first session of retrial in which the men are charged with embezzlement of public funds.

Last May, Mubarak, his sons, and four other defendants were convicted of embezzling LE125 million ($17.9 million) originally allocated for developing communications centres in presidential palaces. The money was spent on the men's private residences instead, according to prosecutors.

Hosni Mubarak was given a three-year prison sentence and his sons Alaa and Gamal Mubarak were given four years each.

They were also ordered to pay a fine of LE21,197,000 ($2.96 million) and return LE125 million ($17.9 million).

In January Egypt’s cassation court cancelled the verdict and ordered a retrial.

In Saturday’s session, Cairo Criminal Court examined evidence and adjourned the case to 29 April.

In November 2014, the ex-autocrat had charges of complicity in the killing of protesters in the 2011 uprising dropped. He was also cleared of other corruption charges.

In January, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak were released after serving the maximum period of detention pending trial. They still face charges of corrupt stock exchange dealings in a separate case.