Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of Egypt’s ousted president Hosni Mubarak, has been released from detention after she returned some of her assets to the state, but still faces investigation into how she amassed her wealth.
Suzanne Mubarak denies charges that she abused her husband’s influence for unlawful personal gain.
“Suzanne Mubarak was released pending investigations after she gave up her assets of 24m Egyptian pounds ($4m) to the state,” Assem el-Gohari, the head of the illicit gains authority, told state radio on Tuesday.
The former president’s wife was admitted to hospital on Friday after suffering symptoms of a heart attack.
Former President Mubarak, 83, is also being investigated for abuse of power, embezzlement and responsibility for the deaths of protesters during the 18 days of unrest that led to his overthrow on February 11. He is still in detention.
Gohari said the investigation into Suzanne Mubarak’s alleged illegal acquisition of wealth was ongoing and that after relinquishing her assets, “her release is a normal legal procedure which would apply to anyone” in the same situation.
He also said she had agreed to disclose the details of all her accounts, in Egypt and abroad.
On Monday, the former first lady gave Gohari three powers of attorney authorising him to withdraw the cash from accounts in two banks and to sell a luxury villa she owns in Cairo.
A state television channel and a local newspaper meanwhile quoted media sources as saying Hosni Mubarak would apologise to Egyptians and would also return assets to the nation. But a military source told the Reuters news agency the report was not true.
Allegations of abuse
The former president is being questioned about allegations that he ordered the shooting of protesters during the uprising that toppled him in February.
Mubarak has been in custody at the same Sharm el-Sheikh hospital as his wife since April 13 when he too reportedly suffered a heart attack during questioning.
The military council which has been in power since Mubarak’s departure has vowed to bring to justice all those accused of abuse and has launched a sweeping probe into corruption.
Mubarak, his wife, and their two sons, Alaa and Gamal, and wives have been banned from travel and had their assets ordered frozen by the general prosecutor, Abdel Magid Mahmud.
The two sons, along with dozens of officials and businessmen associated with the former regime, are being detained in Cairo’s Tora prison which housed political dissidents during the Mubarak era.
The Mubarak family wealth is reported to total billions of dollars, including a villa in Sharm el-Sheikh, estimated to be worth over $36m.
Al Jazeera
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