Egypt: Judge Withdraws From Mubarak’s Retrial; Court Witnesses Chaotic Scenes As Case Gets Adjourned Indefinitely

Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's retrial, which was set to begin on Saturday in Cairo, was adjourned indefinitely after the presiding judge referred the case to another court on Saturday.

Judge Mustafa Hassan Abdullah announced his decision at the start of the retrial at a police academy on the outskirts of Cairo, Reuters news agency reported.

There were chaotic scenes as the judge announced his decision to withdraw, as he felt “unease” in reviewing the case, the report added.

Mubarak was granted a retrial earlier this year after his appeal against his life sentence for the death of protesters killed by government forces was accepted.

The former Egyptian leader was sentenced to life in prison on June 2 last year by a court that held them responsible for the deaths of protesters killed by security forces trying to quell the uprising that subsequently overthrew his government.

About 850 people were killed in the 2011 crackdown, according to a BBC report.

Former Interior Minister Habib Al-Adli and two sons of Mubarak were also granted retrail, facing the same charges as before.

In January, Mohamed Abdel Razek, one of Mubarak's lawyers, told Reuters the retrial would be based on the same evidence used in the previous trial.

Mubarak, 84, has been held in a military hospital after he hurt his head in a fall in his prison bathroom in December. He has suffered a range of illnesses since his ouster in February 2011.

On Saturday, he was flown by helicopter to the courthouse at a police academy on the outskirts of Cairo. State TV showed him again being wheeled into the building on a stretcher, wearing a white outfit, as reported by the BBC.