Egypt court to decide on June 4 on Mubarak trial appeal

CAIRO: An Egyptian court said Thursday it will decide on June 4 on a prosecution appeal against a lower court's ruling that dropped murder charges against ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

In November, a lower court dismissed murder charges against the former strongman over the deaths of some of the roughly 800 people killed during the 2011 uprising that removed him from office.

Seven of Mubarak's security commanders, including feared former interior minister Habib al-Adly, were also acquitted in the case.

The prosecution later filed an appeal against that verdict. The Court of Cassation met on Thursday to examine the prosecution appeal, and a court official told reporters that a decision will be announced on June 4.

The appeals court could either dismiss the prosecution appeal or order a retrial, legal experts say.

About a dozen supporters of Mubarak emerged from Thursday's session smiling and chanting slogans backing the 87-year-old former leader, an AFP correspondent reported.

Mubarak is being held in a military hospital in Cairo. In a separate case, the ousted leader is being retried along with his two sons on charges of embezzling about $16 million (14 million euros) earmarked for the maintenance of presidential palaces.