Ex Army Vehicles For Sale

Amid preparations for trial, doubts loom about Mubarak's public appearance

The world and Egyptians alike await the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak before the Cairo Criminal Court this Wednesday. Alluding to the advent of Ramadan, the independent daily Al-Tahrir dubbed the trial, "The Deposed: Starring Hosni Mubarak and his sons, Gamal and Alaa.”

The former president stands accused of three crimes: involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolution; impropriety in the sale of five villas, together worth almost LE40 million, in a deal involving Hussein Salem (currently being held in Spain); and corruption in gas sales to Israel, charges for which former Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmi is currently being tried.

While various security arrangements have been made to prepare for the hearing in Cairo, questions are being raised as to whether Mubarak will really make a public appearance at court.

Newspapers reported Sunday that the Mubarak juniors, together with former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and his assistants, will be taken to court from Tora prison in a convoy of armored military vehicles.

The senior Mubarak, on the other hand, is scheduled to be flown to the site of the academy, which was previously known as Mubarak Academy. He is expected to be transferred on a bed, which will be placed in the defendant's dock.

The ex-president was taken to Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital shortly after his resignation and remains there, in pre-trial police custody.

State media describes Mubarak as suffering from “severe depression,” and last week rumors began circulating that he was refusing to eat. The public prosecutor has nonetheless ordered that he appear in court.

“Mubarak’s health condition allows for his transfer to Cairo,” Health Minister Amr Helmy told Al-Masry Al-Youm. He added that the ministry remains committed to supporting the Interior Ministry in providing any needed health assistance to the former president during the trial.

Mohamed Naguib, head of the South Sinai Security Directorate, said he received the prosecution order to summon Mubarak to court, but it has not been decided yet when exactly he will be transferred.

Sayed Fathy, an attorney and member of the Egyptian Front for the Defense of Protesters, is attending the trial as a representative of the civil suit being lodged against Mubarak.

Witnesses say ex-FG ordered sale of 2 choppers to PNP as brand new ...

Former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo pushed the sale of two of his helicopters as brand new to the Philippine National Police, according to witnesses testifying before the Senate inquiry into the alleged overpriced and second-hand helicopters on Tuesday.

Archibald Po, president of Lionair Incorporated, said that he facilitated the purchase of five Robinson R44 Raven I helicopters for Arroyo in 2003.

“ln 2003, I was asked to meet with then First Gentleman [Jose] Miguel Arroyo and I did it at his LTA office. FG inquired about chartering helicopters from me and I told him there were no longer any helicopters available as they had all been loaned to Fernando Poe Jr., who was running for President against his wife, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” Po said as he read from his seven-page affidavit.

“I suggested to FG that the best thing for him was to buy his own helicopters. I offered to him the Robinson R44 Raven 1 helicopters, five units of which would be the price for just one European helicopter. FG then told me to go ahead, buy him [5] Robinson helicopters,” he said.

Po said that he was able to convince the former First Gentleman to purchase the five Robinson helicopters at agreed initial payment of US$ 95,000 each.

According to Po, the First Gentleman had even suggested to him to course through the importation of the helicopters to Po’s another company Asian Spirit, a locator at the Clark Export Processing Zone, to get free tax and other duties.

In 2006, however, Po said the former First Gentleman informed him that Arroyo was selling the five helicopters at 350,000 US dollars each.

“I commented that the price was on the high side for a pre-owned helicopter but FG said that was the price he was willing to sell the helicopters,” Po said.

In 2009, the Manila Aerospace Products Trading (MAPTRA), an accredited PNP supplier of helicopters, tendered a proposal to Po for their purchase of four pre-owned helicopters.

Po referred the proposal to FG who eventually agreed, ending up in the sale of two of his four helicopters as “brand new” to the PNP. Po said one of the five helicopters crashed in 2007.

Hilario De Vera, president and general manager of MAPTRA, also read his own affidavit that corroborated the testimony of Po.

De Vera said he was forced to sell the pre-owned helicopters as brand new to the PNP after Po informed him about the order of the First Gentleman.

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