Mubarak hospitalized on day he was scheduled to face prosecutor

Deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been taken to a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, according to state security sources.

Mubarak was admitted to the Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital this afternoon, amid a very heavy security presence in the town, a security source told Agence France Presse.

Mubarak, who has been summoned for questioning by the state prosecutor to answer charges of corruption and embezzlement. He was scheduled to speak with prosecutors today.

There is a state of confusion inside the hospital and only patients are allowed in, said TV reporter Ashraf Swayla on state-run station Nile TV.

Another TV report indicated that Mubarak was admitted to the VIP wing and that the hospital was only accepting emergency cases.

Mubarak is 82 years old and has been keeping a low profile in his villa in Sharm since he was forced to step down on February 11, after ruling Egypt for three decades.

There have been reports of his ill health, although his aides have denied such claims.

An Al Jazeera reporter in Cairo said: [Mubarak] has been under house arrest in Sharm el-Sheikh ever since he was ousted from power. We are still not sure of what condition he is in, but the former president has been complaining that he's been unwell for some time now.”

The Al Jazeera reporter added: [Mubarak] was supposed to travel to Cairo to be questioned about his wealth, about his assets, by the prosecutor-general here, but he said that he was unable to travel. Now whether or not it’s a coincidence that he falls ill just days after the prosecutor-general decided to summon him as well as his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, for questioning about their wealth and their assets ... in fact, at this hour, ministry of justice officials are questioning his sons. Now this has been a demand of the pro-democracy protesters here in Egypt for the prosecution of the president, as well as high-ranking members of the former regime, in order to hold them accountable for what they believe was the amassing of billions of dollars of wealth.

In addition Al Jazeera’s correspondent noted: “This news will not be welcomed by pro-democracy protesters, this is what many of them actually feared, that the president will not be tried, will not be held accountable for his actions over recent decades. And definitely, a lot of them will be skeptical - they will wonder whether or not he is really sick.”

Reportedly, some protesters in Egypt are ridiculing Mubarak’s hospitalization, suggesting it’s a fabrication to avoid facing the prosecutor.