[JURIST] An Egyptian court on Saturday ordered that the political party of former president Hosni Mubarak [Al Jazeera profile; JURIST news archive] be dissolved. It would be illogical [Reuters report] for Mubarak’s National Democratic Party, which took control in 1978, to remain an entity, the country’s High Administrative Court said. The court also liquidated the party’s assets. Analysts call the court’s decision an important step in the building of a multi-party system, which the country has not had for more than 30 years.

The decision came just days after the court ordered Mubarak moved to a hospital to recover from an unspecified ailment, causing a delay in questioning [JURIST report] regarding his alleged roles in protester deaths and embezzlement of government money. The chief prosecutor last week summoned [Al Jazeera report] Mubarak for questioning, along with his two sons, Gamal and Alaa. Egyptian authorities continued to question Mubarak’s sons [AFP report] after Mubarak was taken to the hospital. In a televised statement on Sunday, Mubarak denied corruption charges [BBC report], asserted his right to defend his reputation and expressed his willingness to cooperate [Al Arabiya report] with investigations, denying that he owns property abroad or holds foreign bank accounts.