Mubarak not above the law: Egyptian PM

Declaring that no one is above the law, Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Tuesday said that legal steps were underway to probe veracity of charges of corruption and excesses against toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

Responding to the statement by Mubarak that he and his family were not guilty of corruption, Sharaf said, "no one is above law" and anyway the legal steps are "underway".

In his maiden address to the people, live on televiosion, the new prime minister apologised for a violent military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters on Saturday.

Sharaf's comments came as authorities widened a crackdown on former key officials of the Mubarak regime clamour for which is growing in the country, triggering a re-occupation of the iconic Tahrir Square by pro-democracy protesters demanding that the ousted president be put on trial.

Two people were killed and scores wounded on Saturday when the protesters raising the demands had a showdown with the military for the first time. Authorities detained Safwat Al-Sherif, the former Secretary General of the country's largest National Democratic Party, in signs that the noose may be tightening against ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

Al-Sherif was detained for 15 days on corruption charges and interrogated for 12-hours, Al Arabiya reported

quoting state news agency MENA. Sherif was a key ally of the former President and served as Egypt's public face for over 20 years as the Information minister.

A special panel formed to uncover illicit gains has also summoned Fathi Sorour, former speaker of the lower house for questioning on Wednesday over allegations that he has amassed large amounts of money illegally.

Extending an olive branch to the protesters, the prime minister said that he would appoint a judicial investigation to probe Saturday's clashes and also said, the government had no plans to shut down the Tahrir Square once again.

He, however appealed to the people to end their reoccupation of the Square and sought to blame "thugs" for the

violence on Saturday, saying it was a move to drive a wedge between the people and the army. "What happened is strange, because Tahrir is the place where the people and the army became one."