New trial for Egypt’s ousted president Mohammed Morsi

Ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, was charged on February 15, 2015 for leaking sensitive information to Qatar and endangering national security. Namir Galal/EPA

CAIRO // A new trial for Egypt’s ousted ex-president Mohammed Morsi began in Cairo on Sunday, with prosecutors accusing him of spying and leaking confidential information to Qatar.

The hearing was swiftly adjourned and a new date set for February 28 after the court ruled that the defence should consult with Morsi and the other 10 defendants in the case.

Morsi faces several other ongoing trials, including one where he stands charged with inciting the killing of protesters and for which he could face the death penalty. Other charges have yet to be brought to trial.

Morsi was Egypt’s first democratically elected leader who was toppled in 2013 by the army after mass protests against his rule, but his turbulent one-year rule left the country sharply divided.

From the defendant’s cage in the courtroom on Sunday, Morsi remained defiant, insisting he was Egypt’s legitimate president.

“This court does not represent anything to me,” said Morsi, who was on trial with 10 other people.

“I am the legitimate president ... and this trial is a farce.”

Relations between Qatar and Egypt have been icy since July 2013, when Egypt’s then-army chief Abdel Fattah El Sisi overthrew Morsi and then launched a tough security crackdown against extremists.

Qatar had supported Morsi, who was in jail along with thousands of Brotherhood members, many of whom have been sentenced to death on separate charges.

The public prosecutor had said Morsi’s aides were involved in leaking to Qatari intelligence, documents which exposed the location of and weapons held by the Egyptian armed forces and detailed the country’s foreign and domestic policies.

* Associated Press and Reuters