CAIRO
Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s ousted and imprisoned president, hinted on Saturday that he had been subject to a poisoning attempt by prison officials.
During court proceedings, Morsi -- democratically elected in mid-2012 only to be ousted by the army one year later -- cryptically said he had “refused to eat food [provided by prison officials], which, had I eaten it, a crime would have occurred”.
Morsi went on to cite five recent “incidents” he had experienced in prison, which, he asserted, “would have constituted a crime” had they succeeded.
He did not elaborate further.
Last month, Morsi was sentenced to death for “espionage” and escaping from prison during the 2011 popular uprising that led to former President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year stint in power.
A leading member of Egypt’s now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, Morsi -- who was ousted and imprisoned by Egypt’s military in mid-2013 -- still faces several other criminal charges, which he and his supporters insist are politically motivated.
