Egypt's opposition leader sues President Mubarak's son

Oct 24, 2009, 14:50 GMT

Cairo- Egyptian opposition figure Ayman Nour, who ran against President Hosny Mubarak in the 2005 presidential elections, said Saturday he plans to take Mubarak's son, Gamal, to court.

Nour told the German Press Agency dpa that that he intended to sue Gamal Mubarak, the head of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP)'s Policies Committee, for acting as 'the unofficial ruler of the country.'

Nour, who was released from prison last February after serving more than three years on charges he falsified signatures in support of his 2005 electoral bid, said he would sue Gamal Mubarak in Cairo's Supreme Administrative Court on charges of 'using the privileges of executive power without constitutional rights.'

The former head of the opposition al-Ghad Party had been released on health grounds, on the condition that he not participate in politics.

The opposition figure accused the younger Mubarak of 'mobilizing the Egyptian security forces' to organize public meetings as part of an NDP rural development and social-justice programme.

Earlier this month, Nour launched a campaign, alongside other opposition figures, against hereditary succession in the Egyptian presidency.

As part of that campaign, he visited the southern Egyptian cities of Luxor and Qena, where he visited villages that are part of the NDP's development programme, as well as the party's headquarters.

Since Mubarak appointed his son as head of the NDP's Policies Committee in 2002, many in Egypt and abroad have speculated that Gamal Mubarak, 45, was being groomed for the presidency.

Both Mubaraks have dismissed that speculation.