A decision to release 23 defendants in the Muslim Brotherhood "International Organization" case has been issued pending investigation, said an official source in the judiciary, who emphasized that the case is not yet closed.
The same source explained that the other five defendants kept in custody have not met conditions for their release, since their involvement in the case was proven and the prosecution have refused their release to prevent their leaving the country to escape. The source did not mention whether the five held in custody belong to the Muslim Brotherhood or not.
Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, lawyer for the Muslim Brotherhood, said that only one businessman is currently in custody pending investigations by the State Security Supreme Court: Osama Soliman, who was arrested last July along with others including Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, a senior Brotherhood leader. According to Abdel Maqsoud, all were released pending prosecution except for Soliman.
Abdel Maqsoud added that the reports submitted in this case do not include the names of any other businessmen, and confirmed that the decision to refer defendants for trial in such cases is governed by many political considerations, which makes it hard to predict whether the case will continue or whether it will be abandoned like many other cases that were given media attention.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
