Judge Ahmed Fahmi Refaat, who presides over the trial of former president Honsi Mubarak, will not retire before next year, an informed source said.

There have been fears that Refaat will retire by his next birthday after two months, which would see the trial assigned to another judge.

The source says the Egyptian judicial law stipulates that a judge must be informed of his retirement in advance, and since Refaat did not receive a notification last month, he will get to keep his position at least until next June.

Refaat, who has previously overseen a number of political cases, has never been perceived as one of the judges who tend to favour the former regime.

He once sentenced ex-parliamentarian and NDP member Tarek El-Sowesi to 15 years in prison for being involved in a notorious relics smuggling racket.

The reputable Refaat also returned other verdicts seemingly without considering the best interest of Mubarak’s government throughout his career.