Mubarak’s Wife Refutes Plans to Pass Presidency to Son

MOSCOW, January 20 (Sputnik) — The wife of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said she had never intended for the presidency to pass on to their youngest son in an interview with a Kuwaiti journalist, her first public appearance since Mubarak's ousting in 2011.

"I never intended to have my son Gamal inherit power, because the life that I lived with my husband was not wonderful at all, and I do not wish for my son to live it," Al Arabiya quoted Suzanne Mubarak as saying on Monday.

"If we had planned for hereditary rule, we would have introduced our children to the military because we know Egypt cannot be ruled except by sons of the military institution," she added.

The ex-first lady also refuted rumors that she had held "behind the scene" power during Mubarak's presidency.

Hosni Mubarak was president of Egypt for almost 30 years before he was overthrown in the 2011 Arab spring protests. Mubarak was subsequently charged with involvement in the killing of hundreds of protesters. Initially sentenced to life imprisonment, Mubarak was acquitted of all charges of murder in November 2014.

In May 2014, the court sentenced Mubarak to three years in jail for appropriating over $14 million of public funds, and his sons Gamal and Alaa were each sentenced to four years' imprisonment.

Last week, Egypt's Court of Cassation overturned the Mubaraks' embezzlement convictions and ordered a retrial.