CAIRO, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The Cairo Appeals Court Wednesday rejected plaintiff lawyers' requests to switch judges in the trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The court fined the lawyers about $1,000 for making the request, al-Masry al-Youm reported.
One of the lawyers asked in September to have Judge Ahmed Refaat and his assistants replaced, saying they were not neutral and prevented lawyers from attending testimony sessions.
Mubarak, two of his sons, Alaa and Gamal, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six former security officials face charges of corruption and involvement in murdering protesters during the January demonstrations that caused Mubarak to resign in February.
Lawyers representing the protest victim's families say Refaat did not give them enough time to question witnesses in the trial.
Court will reconvene Dec. 28, a directive by Refaat stated. Activists have held protests against the lengthy trial process.
