Mubarak and his sons plead innocent

An Egyptian court began a retrial on Saturday of former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons on corruption charges.

The three men - who each pleaded innocent in the first session - are accused of diverting public funds to upgrade family properties.

When the judge at the Cairo Criminal Court asked them whether they had wasted public money, each of them answered with "No Sir. It didn't happen," local media said.

Mubarak and his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were charged with spending more than 100 million Egyptian pounds (12 million euros) of state money on their private residences.

According to the newspaper al-Masry al-Youm, a representative of the prosecution requested the court to hand down the toughest penalty to the three accused.

The Cairo Criminal Court said the trial would resume in April 29.

Conviction already overturned

Mubarak, who is now 86, was sentenced to three years in prison last May and his two sons were given a four-year jail sentence in the same case.

However, in January, Egypt's high court overturned the conviction against Mubarak and his sons.

Mubarak, who was ousted in the 2011 uprising, is currently being treated in a military hospital in Cairo.

ra/rc (dpa, Reuters)