Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is hoping Egyptians support “legitimate and elected” President Mohamed Morsi, the deposed leader’s lawyer said on Monday.“Morsi is now the elected president of Egypt, and Mubarak wants people to stand by him,” Farid El-Deeb said in a telephone interview with satellite channel Orbit TV.

“That’s natural because Mubarak only cares about the interests of the country. Acts of vandalism and violence are not acceptable to him.”

Former strongman Mubarak was toppled following the January 2011 revolution that ended his autocratic 30-year rule and paved the way for the Muslim Brotherhood, which he oppressed for decades, to effectively assume control after Morsi became the country’s first freely elected president last year.

The ailing Mubarak, who has been detained since April 2011, was initially sentenced to life in prison on charges of failing to prevent the killing of peaceful protesters during the 18-day uprising, but the penalty was later revoked after a court ordered that he be retried.

Asked about whether it was "strange" that Mubarak calls on Egyptians to support the man who is responsible for his imprisonment, El-Deeb said: “Morsi was not responsible for that. The former prosecutor-general was the one who sent Mubarak to prison.”

Morsi is struggling to restore order in Egypt, which is witnessing sporadic clashes in several cities, including Cairo and the Suez Canal cities Port Said and Suez.

The Islamist president’s opponents accuse him of trying to monopolise power and turning a blind eye towards the grievances of Egyptian people amid grave economic troubles.

He was also vilified for the heavy-handed tactics police forces have deployed to stifle dissent.

Mubarak’s retrial is set to begin on 13 April.

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