Mubarak: History will judge me ‘fairly’

CAIRO: Ex-President Hosni Mubarak, on trial for the death of protesters during Egypt’s 2011 uprising that toppled him, said future generations would judge him “fairly” in an interview published yesterday.
“I have said in the past that history would bear witness and judge, and I am still certain that future generations will judge me fairly,” Mubarak told Al-Watan newspaper on the sidelines of his re-trial yesterday.
The independent Al-Watan, which is highly critical of Egypt’s new ruling party, said the interview was the first the ex-president gave since he was forced to quit in February 2011 after massive protests against his 30-year rule.
Mubarak also said that it was too early to judge his successor Muhammad Mursi.
“I do not want to talk about that subject, but in the end, he’s a new president who bears heavy responsibilities for the first time, and who shouldn’t be judged for the moment,” Mubarak said when asked to comment on Mursi.
However, a lawyer representing Mubarak denied yesterday that his client had spoken to the newspaper, describing as a fabrication reports that he had said it was too early to judge Mursi’s performance as president.
Mubarak, 85, also said that he was “very, very sad” for the poorest Egyptians who face a deteriorating economic and security situation.
“Throughout my presidency, I took care of people on low incomes... and I refused to take any measures against them. That is the secret of my sadness, to see the situation of people on low incomes,” he said.
On of the main slogans of the uprising that pushed Mubarak out of power was: “Bread, Freedom and Social Justice.”
Mubarak also voiced concern over efforts by Egypt to secure a $ 4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, saying the deal’s conditions “are very tough and are dangerous for Egypt’s economy, and that will affect the poor citizens.”
Yesterday’s edition of Al-Watan said its journalist had broken through security lines to speak to Mubarak on Saturday before his retrial on charges of complicity in the death of protesters killed in the uprising that swept him from office.
The paper splashed the story on its front page, billing it as Mubarak’s first comments to the media since he was toppled in 2011.
Lawyer Farid El-Deeb said he had sent Mubarak, 85, a message asking if the interview with the reporter had happened. “He sent me a message saying this didn’t happen,” he said.
“All of it is incorrect ... Mubarak did not meet with him or sit with him or any of this.”
Al-Watan said its journalist had spoken to Mubarak in a side room at the court where his retrial began on Saturday.
Deeb said the remarks appeared to be based on comments that he himself had made to the media.