April 21, 2011: An Egyptian court ordered the name of ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his wife Suzanne removed from all public facilities and institutions, the latest step in dismantling the legacy of the former leader’s 29 years in power.

In announcing the ruling, Judge Mohammed Hassan Omar stated “people have uncovered Mubarak’s journey of corruption.”"It has become clear that the size of the corruption (under Mubarak) that’s being uncovered every day exceeds by far anyone’s imagination,” he stated.

After the ruling, Transport Minister Atef Abdel-Hameed told reporters he would act quickly to remove Mubarak’s name from the ministry’s facilities, including the Cairo subway station.

Early in his rule, Mubarak stated that out of modesty he didn’t want his name put on public buildings, but there are now hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of schools, streets, squares and libraries that bear the name of the former leader or his wife as well as a major subway station in central Cairo.

Soon after he came to power in 1981 following the assassination of his predecessor Anwar Sadat by Islamic militants, Mubarak publicly stated that he didn’t want to follow the widespread custom in the region of having his name planted on public institutions. He also stated in the early 1980s that he would not seek a second term in office, arguing that ruling Egypt was a heavy burden.

The court case over Mubarak’s name was brought by lawyer Sameer Sabry against interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to force authorities to remove the name of Mubarak and his wife from all public buildings.

Now all those will have to go, a new blow to Mubarak, who was ousted on Feb. 11 and last week was put under detention in a hospital for investigation on charges of corruption and the deadly shooting of protesters. Mubarak’s wife Suzanne, who wielded a great deal of behind-the-scenes influence over how the country was run, is due to be questioned over allegations of illegally amassing wealth.

Mubarak, who will be 83 next month, remains in detention under guard at a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The attorney general has ordered the government’s top forensic doctor to examine Mubarak to ascertain whether his condition allows him to be removed to the Tora prison hospital.

Attorney General Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud also instructed the doctor to inspect the Tora hospital with a view to providing it with the equipment needed for Mubarak’s treatment. The ex-president underwent surgery last year in Germany to remove his gallbladder. He was admitted to a hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh last week for an irregular heartbeat. Unconfirmed media reports said he also was suffering from depression.

By the time he stepped down two months ago, Mubarak had served five terms in office, ran the country much like it was his own fiefdom and many of the country’s high profile projects were named after him.

Similarly, his wife Suzanne kept a low profile during the early years of her husband’s rule, partly because the liberal attitudes and high profile assumed by Sadat’s wife Jihan did not appeal to many in the mainly Muslim and conservative country. But Suzanne Mubarak soon became highly visible through her involvement in projects to do with the affairs of women and children as well as combating human trafficking.

She is widely believed to have been the driving force behind efforts to get her son Gamal to succeed his father, a prospect that most Egyptians as well as the military objected to. Gamal’s possible succession was one of the key motives for the youth groups that organized the Jan. 25-Feb.11 uprising that toppled Mubarak.

Mubarak’s two sons, businessman Alaa and banker-turned politician Gamal, who was once his father’s heir apparent are already jailed in Tora, just south of Cairo, under investigation for corruption. Stalwarts of the regime are also detained there, including the former prime minister, speakers of parliament’s two chambers and a top aide of the former president, as well as several wealthy businessmen linked o the regime. In a related development, senior Justice Ministry official Assem al-Gohary stated the wives of Alaa and Gamal Mubarak would be questioned about how their husbands amassed their wealth.

March 10, 2011: Several candidates are stepping up in hopes of replacing him, among them Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). ElBaradei was cautious in his dealings with Iran during his tenure as IAEA chief. The Nobel Peace laureate confirmed his candidacy this week on ONTV, a private Egyptian television channel, saying he would work for education and health care for all, especially the poor.

Another contender for the post is Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League and former Egyptian Foreign Minister. Moussa hinted in an interview on Tuesday that he would maintain Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel and work to transform the country into a modern democracy.

A third possible candidate is Ahmed Zewail, an Egyptian-American scientist and winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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March 10, 2011: The Egyptian military forcibly removed hundreds of protesters from the area after dozens of gang members attacked the demonstrators for the second time in 24 hours. Gunshots rang out in the square in the afternoon hours, but it was not clear who was firing the weapons, according to the media.

Several thousand protesters have refused to leave Tahrir Square since the demonstrations began January 24, insisting they will stay until promised reforms are fully implemented. Protesters are pressuring the country’s Supreme Military Council to dissolve the emergency law and free all political prisoners. They are also demanding the establishment of a new constitution, free elections, more jobs, higher wages and lower food prices.

At least 44 people were wounded Tuesday night as protesters camping out in the square were attacked. Eyewitnesses told reporters the violence came from supporters of the security apparatus formerly attached to ex-President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. One of the primary grievances fueling the protests that toppled Mubarak’s government was a complaint over police corruption and abuse of power.

Mubarak’s Assets Frozen, Travel Banned: Meanwhile, the country’s Criminal Court upheld a travel ban on the former president, and approved a freeze on his assets and those of his family. The freeze on property owned by Mubarak, his wife Suzanne, sons Ala’a and Gamal and their wives and children, was ordered on February 28 by Attorney General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud. The order included “movable properties, real estate, stocks, bonds and various financial assets” and blocked the family from leaving the country.

Mubarak, who was reported several weeks ago to be receiving treatment for cancer while living on a military base in Saudi Arabia, is more recently believed to be at his home in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. He resigned from office on February 11 after it became clear the protests against his 31-year reign were escalating.

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