First public remarks of Hosny Mobarak

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday issued his first public remarks since his recent ouster, decrying corruption accusations against him.

In a brief audio message aired on Al-Arabiya television, Mubarak said the Egyptian government's probe into his finances is aimed at tarnishing his reputation and undermining his "history."

"I cannot keep silent facing this continued falsified campaign and the continued attempt to undermine my reputation and the reputation of my family," he said.

He has agreed to allow the public prosecutor to contact governments around the world "to take all the proper legal steps to reveal" whether he and his family own any properties or real estate outside of Egypt. He also claimed he has no bank accounts abroad.

Mubarak said he, his wife and sons will account for everything they own, and that his sons will be able to show that anything they own, whether in Egypt or beyond, was not obtained through political influence or illegal means.

"I will reserve my legal right to sue anybody who attacked me or tried to undermine my reputation," he added.

Mubarak stepped down from the presidency February 11 and handed over power to the military -- three decades of his iron-clad rule ended by an 18-day revolution.

The same day he stepped down, Switzerland's government moved to freeze any assets in the country's banks that might belong to Mubarak or to his family, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said at the time. An official statement from the department said the Swiss Cabinet had frozen all funds belonging to Mubarak or "his circles."

Source: egyptdailynews.com