(Reuters) - An
Egyptian court on Saturday dropped its case against ousted President
Hosni Mubarak, his interior minister and six aides on charges of
ordering the killing of protesters during the 2011 revolt that removed
him from power. The court also cleared Mubarak and a former oil minister of graft charges related to gas exports to Israel. In
a separate corruption case, charges were dropped against Mubarak and
his sons Alaa and Gamal, with Judge Mahmoud Kamel al-Rashidi saying too
much time had elapsed since the alleged crime took place for the court
to rule on the matter. The
86-year-old former leader will not walk free after Saturday's verdicts,
however. He was found guilty in May in another case related to theft of
public funds and has been serving that three-year sentence while under
house arrest for medical reasons in an army hospital in an upscale Cairo
suburb. Saturday's rulings can be appealed. The
packed courtroom erupted in cheers after the judge finished reading the
verdicts. Mubarak, wearing sunglasses and a sweater, had been
grim-faced when he was wheeled into the courtroom on a stretcher. The
overthrow of Mubarak, who ruled for about 30 years, led to Egypt's
first free election but the winner, Mohamed Mursi, was ousted last year
by the army. The release of some Mubarak-era figures this year had
already raised fears among activists that the old leadership was
regaining influence.
Egyptian court drops case against Mubarak over 2011 protester deaths

Reuters
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