CAIRO, June 28 (UPI) -- Ayman Nour, the head of Egypt's opposition al-Ghad Party, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of forging documents to found his political party.
"I am not guilty of the charge filed against me," Nour told Cairo's criminal court.
But four of the six defendants being tried in the same case, including his personal secretary, admitted they forged documents at Nour's request.
Nour, a member of parliament, spent six weeks in prison earlier this year while being interrogated. He was released following U.S. protests.
The politician rejected the charges saying they were fabricated and that his trial is politically motivated because his party has been pressing for political and economic reforms.
As the court convened, hundreds of Nour's supporters gathered outside the court building, waving orange flags and raising slogans condemning the trial.
Nour plans to run in the presidential elections in September.
