Egypt: Gamal Mubarak attends funeral of lawyer who helped acquit late president's family
Gamal Mubarak, the son of late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was spotted among crowds of supporters at the funeral of controversial celebrity lawyer Farid al-Deeb on Tuesday.
Deeb, who defended the Mubaraks along with other prominent clients in a career which spanned over five decades, died at the age of 79 this week after a battle with cancer.
A funeral procession took place at Cairo’s Sayeda Zeinab Mosque on Tuesday afternoon.
Videos posted on social media showed passersby warmly receiving the 58-year-old Mubarak, mobbing him with handshakes and embraces, with one woman even calling for a “return” to the rule of his father, who led Egypt from 1981-2011 and died in February 2020.
“We extend our sincere condolences and sympathy on the death of Professor Farid al-Deeb, asking God almighty to accept the deceased with his mercy and forgiveness and to inspire his family patience and solace,” Gamal's brother, Alaa Mubarak, tweeted.
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"We do not forget the man's standing with the family at a time when others withdrew. May God have mercy on him."
Defending the Mubaraks
Earlier this year, Deeb left Egyptians baffled and outraged after he came out of retirement to defend Mohamed Adel, a former university student who admitted to the murder of 22-year-old Nayera Ashraf after she rejected his marriage proposal.
Egypt's public prosecutor referred Adel to the Mansoura Criminal Court only two days after the crime, in the country's swiftest ever referral.
Deeb, Egypt's most famous criminal lawyer, has often shown little interest in the tide of public opinion.
In 2015, he launched a defence of Hosni Mubarak, who had been forced from office four years earlier after three decades in power. The former president and his sons were facing a long list of charges, including corruption and ordering the killing of peaceful demonstrators during the 18-day uprising against his regime in 2011.
Deeb succeeded in getting the ex-president and his two sons out of jail with only light sentences, following a six-year trial.
In May, Gamal Mubarak raised eyebrows after he was spotted in Abu Dhabi on his first foreign trip since the 2011 revolution. Questions were asked about how he had left Egypt despite a longstanding travel ban against the family.
The trip came days after Swiss federal prosecutors dropped an 11-year investigation into suspected money laundering by Egyptians close to Hosni Mubarak during the revolution, freeing up millions of dollars for the late strongman's family.
The decision followed the EU's top court deciding on 6 April to uphold a ruling deeming EU sanctions against the Mubaraks unlawful, and ordering the EU to pay legal costs incurred by the family.
According to Transparency International, it is estimated that as president, Hosni Mubarak "stole nearly $70bn in public funds that are now concealed in France, Germany and Spain".
The international anti-corruption group said the EU court's decision "signals impunity for corrupt actors".
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