Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons will face trial in August on charges of fraud and orchestrating the killing of anti-government protesters who drove him from power.
Egypt state media on Wednesday announced the trial will begin on August 3. Mubarak and his sons, Alaa and Gamal, will face trial in a Cairo criminal court.
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Obama administration wants due process in what she predicted will be "a highly-charged trial."
Egyptian prosecutors have been interrogating the former president at a hospital in Sharm el Sheikh, and his sons while in custody in a Cairo prison.
They are investigating Mubarak's alleged role in crimes going back decades. The charges against Mubarak and his sons include abuse of power and wasting public funds.
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A Mubarak trial - a distraction from Egypt’s real problems? Steven Cook, Council of Foreign Relations, speaks to VOA’s Susan Yackee:
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The setting of the trial date follows widespread calls for members of the former government to face justice. Human rights activists believe at least 800 people were killed during the protests, which ended nearly 30 years of Mubarak's rule.
Gamal Mubarak held no formal government position, but had a key post in the former ruling National Democratic Party and was seen as being groomed to succeed his father. His brother Alaa was a prominent businessman, also without an official post.
The former president's wife, Suzanne Mubarak, has also been questioned about alleged illegal gains. Last month, she agreed to hand over several million dollars worth of property and other assets.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
