Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah has ordered former President Hosni Mubarak and his 2 sons to be referred to a criminal court on charges of squandering public funds.

The charges relate to an earlier case over using public money to renovate presidential palaces.

In April, Mubarak was ordered into custody detention pending investigations into the case which observers believe represents the biggest corruption case involving Egypt's toppled leader. The detention order came into force last week.

Mubarak and his sons, Alaa and Gamal, stood accused of seizing more than LE1 billion over a 10-year period.

The Administrative Control Authority said that Mubarak abused his power to personally profit from his position as president, acquiring huge sums from the state budget to carry out fake constructions at presidential properties.

The money was meanwhile directed, it is alleged, to villas privately owned by members of the Mubarak family.

Mubarak had earlier been released pending investigations into charges of premeditated murder and illicit gains, but remains in detention pending other cases, including investigations into the presidential palaces case.