Back from the Dead: Egypt's Hosni Mubarak 'Well Enough to Return to Jail'

The health of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has reportedly improved enough for the public prosecutor to demand that he be moved back to prison from hospital.

Prosecutor-general Abdel Maguid Mahmoud said Mubarak's health stabilised after he was rushed from Tora prison in June, following reports that he had suffered heart failure.

Mubark's office issued a statement saying that Mahmoud "has issued an order to transfer former president Hosni Mubarak from the Maadi Armed Forces Hospital to Tora prison hospital after an improvement in his health".

Deputy prosecutor general Adel al-Saeed, citing the records of doctors who have treated Mubarak, reported that the former leader's "health is currently stable with medication, and it is considered good for someone of his age".

Rumours

Mubarak, who served as president of Egypt for 30 years, received a sentence of life imprisonment in June for failing to prevent the killing of protesters during Egypt's uprising last February.

On 20 June, less than three weeks after receiving his sentence, Mubarak was rushed to hospital, with interior ministry spokesman Alaa Mahmoud telling reporters he had slipped into a coma.

There were also rumours that the ex-president was on life support, and some reports even suggested he was clinically dead - prompting a swift denial from senior officers and military sources.

Many anti-Mubarak activists believe the military council and state media manipulated reports on Mubarak's health situation to ensure his move from prison to hospital, and garner the sympathy of the Egyptian public.