Lawyer: Mubarak still president

CAIRO, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The chief attorney for ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak claims Mubarak is still the president because he never signed a letter of resignation.

In a Cairo court Sunday, Mubarak's lawyer, Farid al-Deeb, said the letter of resignation was actually signed by then-vice-president Omar Suleiman, Bikyamasr.com reported.

Al-Deeb then said the criminal court trying Mubarak did not have the authority to do so and that his case should be tried in a special tribunal court.

Mubarak is on trial, along with six of his assistants and his two sons, for his involvement in the shooting of pro-democracy protesters during the uprising in Egypt last year, as well as accusations of squandering public money, financial corruption and exporting gas to Israel for lower than market prices, al-Masry al-Youm said.

Al-Deeb dismissed Mubarak's involvement in the gas scheme, saying, "Mubarak is not a suspect in the gas case."

The lawyer had previously dismissed the charge of killing protesters and instead laid responsibility on armed forces. Al-Deeb submitted evidence that he said will get Mubarak acquitted of killing protesters.