Egypt's court releases Mubarak in illicit gains case

Egypt's misdemeanor court decided Tuesday to release former President Hosni Mubarak pending further investigations in the case of illicit gains, state-run MENA news agency reported. The court's decision came after his lawyer pleaded the detention period for investigations into the charge has expired. In May 2011, the Illicit Gains Authority ordered to detain Mubarak on the charge of profiteering and exploiting his post to make huge fortunes. However, the ex-president will stay in custody on his other charge -- looting funds set for the presidential palace' maintenance, state-run al-Ahram online said. In another notorious case, the former leader, who ruled Egypt for almost 30 years, is awaiting a retrial for his role in killing protesters in the 2011 upheaval, which prompted his downfall. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case in June 2012 but appealed the verdict. The court has postponed his retrial multiple times since mid- May, and the coming session is expected on July 6.