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Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were ordered on Wednesday to be put under custody for 15 days, with all other top aides of the former president under corruption investigations.
State TV said Mubarak and his two sons would be questioned on April 19. Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, face charges of use of violence against protesters, power abuse and embezzlement of public funds.
The two sons arrived at the Tora prison in southern Cairo Wednesday morning. Mubarak, who reportedly suffered a mild heart attack on Tuesday during questioning, was still in Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital. Official media said his condition was stable on Wednesday.
Fathi Sorour, former speaker of the People's Assembly, was detained on Wednesday for 15 days over corruption accusations.
Up till now, all key figures of the former regime, including former General Secretary of Egypt's National Democratic Party (NDP) and former Shoura Council speaker Safwat el-Sherif, former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazef, former chief of Presidential cabinet Zakaria Azmi and former interior, tourism, housing, trade and industry ministers, have all been detained pending investigations.
Mubarak's sons "turned in their civil outfits, mobile phones, wallets and all other belongings to be put inside the prison's safe" after they got out of police vehicles, the official MENA news agency said.
Looking "bewildered and distressed," they declined to eat breakfast and only asked for bottles of water from the prison's cafeteria, according to the report.
The Revolution Youth Coalition, a group formed after the anti- government protests, said a million-man protest slated for Friday would not take place after the army took serious steps to probe the corruption, said MENA.
The coalition said they sought a fair trial for Mubarak, his family and the officials in all crimes that harmed the Egyptians.
Two months after the fall of Mubarak, protestors had been demanding the immediate trial of the former president and his family. They felt unsatisfied with the slow prosecution process and held a mass protest on April 8, with demands including the resignation of the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Hussein Tantawi.
Clashes occurred in the early hours on April 9 when troops dispersed the protestors who wanted to overstay in the square and defy a curfew decree, one was killed and dozens were injured.
In response to the increasing pressure from the protestors, Egypt's General Prosecutor Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud issued a summon order on Sunday to question Mubarak and his two sons.
Mubarak was forced to end his rule on Feb. 11 after 18-day nationwide demonstrations, during which some 384 people were killed and more than 6,000 others were injured.
Mubarak denied all the accusations against him and his family in an audio speech aired by the Al-Arabiya TV on Sunday.
In his first address regarding the corruption charges, Mubarak said he had no assets or bank accounts abroad, the wealth of his sons was not gained through illegal means either.
It remains unclear about whether the steps in recent days would calm down the protestors led by youth groups or not. Their new demands also included the establishment of a presidential council for the transitional period.
The army has said the country would hold parliamentary elections in September and elect a president one or two months later. The army will transfer the power after the elections.
The political turmoil has dealt a heavy blow to the country's economy, especially its pillar sector of tourism. The sector will see a 25 percent drop in revenue this year, Minister of Tourism Mounir Nour said.
The country's Finance Minister Samir Radwan predicted the GDP growth in the current fiscal year to end in June will be 2.5 percent to 3 percent.
XINHUA
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