Hosni Mubarak has been referred to a criminal court to stand trial for the killing of protesters and could face the death penalty, reports Reuters.
The move by the Prosecutor’s General Office dispels speculation that the former Egyptian leader would be spared public humiliation by Egypt's military rulers.
Mubarak was a decorated air force commander prior to his ill-fated presidency.
He was ousted on Feb. 11 following mass demonstrations demanding he end his 30 years in power.
He has since been probed concerning his role in a fiercesome crackdown that was responsible for the killing of more than 800 demonstrators, and has been questioned over corruption.
The public prosecutor said Mubarak, who is detained in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, would be tried on charges including "pre-meditated killing", which could be punishable by the death penalty.
What happens in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, will reverberate across a region which has been shaken by similar protests and unrest, Reuters reports.
Political analysts say trying Mubarak on such charges may deter other leaders from quitting, who wish to evade the justice system.
The prosecutor said in a statement that Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, who many had believed were being groomed for office, were also referred to the criminal court on the same charges.
The decision was announced days before another planned demonstration in the centerpiece of the uprising, Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Activists had pledged for a big turnout on Friday to demand faster reforms and a public trial for Mubarak and others, reports Reuters.
With Mubarak still in hospital rather than prison, many Egyptians had speculated that the military rulers now in charge were protecting one of their own.
The army has denied such speculation and insist the case of the president and his family was being handled by the judiciary.
The crimes listed by the prosecutor included "intentional murder, attempted killing of some demonstrators ... misuse of influence and deliberately wasting public funds and unlawfully making private financial gains and profits," the statement said.
It said Mubarak was accused of "participating with Habib al-Adli, the former interior minister and some police authorities... in committing pre-meditated murder of some of the participants of peaceful protests across the country,” Reuters reports.
Protesters in Egypt faced live ammunition, rubber bullets, water cannon and batons during 18-days of demonstrations before Mubarak stepped done. Many were pleased to hear of his referral to trial.
The prosecutor's move was praised by Ibrahim Zahran, 68, one of the founding members of the Egyptian Liberation Party.
The party is one of numerous new parties that have mushroomed since Mubarak's stringent restrictions on politics were freed up.
"We don't want revenge, we just want to apply the law. He didn't apply the law, but we want to," he wrote on Facebook, Reuters reports.
Activity on Internet sites Twitter and Facebook -- used to devastating effect against Mubarak -- became more enlivened than usual following the news.
