Egypt's prosecutor-general has ordered the Foreign Minister to use diplomatic means to request the freezing of the assets of ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family in foreign countries.

The freeze applies to Mubarak, his wife, Suzanne, his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, and two daughters-in-law, Heidy and Khadija.

The family fortune has been estimated at $70 billion, according to a recent report in the Guardian newspaper. This has been denied by sources close to the ex-president, while the state owned media reported yesterday that Mubarak had submitted a routine statement detailing his assets to the appropriate judicial authorities.