Egypt's prosecutor general announces 15-day detention for Mubarak

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt's prosecutor general announced Wednesday, April 13, the 15-day detention of the country's former president, pending inquiries into accusations of corruption and abuse of authority in an unprecedented investigation of a former ruler in the Arab world.

The announcement was the latest in a dramatic series of events surrounding the probes against top former regime officials, and came just hours after former President Hosni Mubarak, 82, was hospitalized with heart problems in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, according to the Associated Press

Since Mubarak's ouster on Feb. 11 on a wave of popular protests, Egyptians have been calling for the investigation of their longtime ruler along with that of many members of his government.

A statement from the prosecutor general's office announcing Mubarak's detention was posted on the social networking site Facebook early Wednesday. It said the ongoing investigation was into was into allegations of corruption, the squandering of public funds, and the abuse of authority for personal gain.

"The prosecutor general orders the detention of former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons Gamal and Alaa for 15 days pending investigation after the prosecutor general presented them with the current state of its ongoing investigations," it read.

Just hours earlier, a separate announcement said the ex-president's two sons were being questioned and detained. It is believed Mubarak will remain in the hospital for his detention.

Most of the top officials of Mubarak's regime are now being investigated on allegations of corruption and abuse of authority.