Egypt: Criminal probe launched against Morsi

Egypt has launched a criminal probe against deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi for alleged spying, inciting violence and ruining the economy, in a blow to thousands of his supporters who have been staging a sit-in in Cairo demanding his reinstatement.

Egyptian prosecutors on Saturday announced the criminal investigation against Morsi and several other leading Muslim Brotherhood figures, including the Islamist movement's top leader Mohamed Badie.

61-year-old Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, was toppled by the powerful military early this month and since has been kept under detention along with some senior aides of his Muslim Brotherhood party.

Morsi was last seen in public on June 26 and has been held at an undisclosed location.

A foreign ministry spokesman, earlier this week had said, Morsi is in a "safe place" following his ouster.

The prosecutors said they were examining complaints of spying, inciting violence and ruining the economy against the leaders.

In a statement, the public prosecutor's office said it had received complaints against Morsi and eight other Islamist figures including Badie. It did not identify other Islamist leaders.

The military maintains it deposed Morsi in a justified response to popular demand after millions of people demonstrated against him. The Brotherhood claims it was a coup that reversed democracy.

Complaints such as those against Morsi are a first step in the criminal process, allowing prosecutors to begin an investigation that can lead to charges.

The prosecutors did not say who had made the complaints.

Egyptian law allows them to investigate complaints from police or any member of the public.

Badie and several other Brotherhood officials already face charges for inciting violence that were announced earlier this week, but few of them have been arrested.

Morsi's Brotherhood party on Saturday called for more mass demonstrations after a huge march broke up peacefully before dawn, ending a week in which at least 90 people were killed.

Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said the charges were absurd and that it was the authorities themselves that were responsible for inciting violence.

"They execute the crime themselves and then they slap it on their opponents. As long as you have a criminal police force and a complicit judiciary, the evidence will appear and the judge will be satisfied. And the media will sell it to the public," he said.

Meanwhile, Prime minister Hazem El-Beblawi was in the process of giving finishing touches to his cabinet, which he said will be finalised by mid-week.

El-Beblawi, following the military-backed roadmap instated after the overthrow of Egypt's Islamist leader on July 3, was scheduled to hold talks with candidates for ministerial posts in the coming two days.

The Prime Minister said that the new administration will be made up of 30 members, as well as two deputies for economic and security affairs, according to state-run MENA news agency.

Some current ministers will maintain their posts in the new cabinet, he said.

The interim Prime Minister has said he would not rule out roles for the Muslim Brotherhood, from which the toppled president Morsi hails, in the new cabinet.

But the Islamist group has spurned offers to take part in the transitional government, which it says is backed by an illegitimate military coup.

The Brotherhood, which has maintained a vigil near a Cairo mosque since before the army removed Morsi, has said it will not leave until he is restored to power.

Tens of thousands turned out on Friday for what the Brotherhood called a "day of marching on". Large crowds of Brotherhood supporters finally dispersed early Saturday.

Morsi's opponents say those demonstrations are still much smaller than the ones that brought him down.

However, the Brotherhood has shown its organisational muscle by keeping its vigil running into a third week and bringing in coach loads of supporters from the provinces during the Ramadan fasting month.

Senior Brotherhood figure Essam el-Erian, one of those who faces arrest, called on his Facebook page for more demonstrations on Monday