CAIRO: Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak, whose trial on charges of ordering the killing of anti-regime protesters is due to start in August, has stomach cancer, his lawyer Farid al-Dib said on Monday.

“He has a stomach cancer and the tumours are growing,” the lawyer told AFP.

The former president is currently in custody at a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where he has been since suffering heart problems during questioning on April 13.

Mubarak, who turned 83 in May, and his sons Alaa and Gamal are set to face trial on August 3 on charges of ordering the killing of protesters during the uprising in January and February that toppled the veteran leader.The Mubaraks, along with a host of former ministers, also face charges of corruption.

Their trial date coincides with Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.

On May 31, the public prosecutor said Mubarak was too ill to be moved from hospital to prison, after a series of statements by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power when Mubarak was ousted on February 11, saying they were preparing for his transfer.

He is said to be suffering from “episodes of unconsciousness due to circulatory problems and low blood pressure,” the prosecutor's statement said.

He also suffers “an irregular heartbeat which could lead to a sudden heart attack,” it added.

Mubarak is described as “generally weak and depressed, and he has trouble getting out of bed without help.”