CAIRO – The Egyptian Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki says granting a pardon to ex-president Hosni Mubarak on health grounds is not up for discussion, given it can only be granted by the country's attorney general. These comments were made in an exclusive interview with Randa Abou Al-Azem for “Al Arabiya TV”. Mekki claims there's a legal text that is up for debate, where legal experts combine the period between imprisonment and cassation to the preventive detention period. So, if the court looking into Mubarak's case decides to combine the two together then Mubarak would complete his 24 months of imprisonment by April and may be acquitted on health grounds. Mekki's opinion is his own legal one adding granting a pardon to Mubarak, as a Muslim follower, he would be in favor, given the Holy Koran it's the highest level of forgiveness. But Mekki made clear that this decision is in the hands of the relatives of the people that Mubarak killed and the public. Moving on, Mekki talks about the charges facing runaway businessman Hussein Salem who's implicated with Mubarak in selling Gas to Israel. He says Salem has money in Egypt in the government's hands, but a lot more is abroad. Mekki claims it would be possible for him to be granted a pardon if he returns the large sums of cash being held outside the country, given he hasn't got blood on his hands and every crime has its punishment. – SG
