SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – Suzanne Mubarak, wife of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak, was hospitalized in the intensive care unit Friday after suffering severe chest pains upon hearing the news that she had been ordered detained on corruption allegations.

The hospital ditectror said she had a heart problem and was in unstable condition at the hospital in this Red Sea resort community, where her husband also has been hospitalized.

Additional Photos

Suzanne Mubarak of Egypt is accused of taking advantage of her husband’s position to enrich herself. File photo/The Associated Press

The detention order came a day after the 70-year-old former first lady was questioned for the first time since she was accused of taking advantage of her husband’s position to enrich herself. The Mubaraks and other members of the former regime have been the subject of legal efforts to bring them to trial since the ex-president was ousted Feb. 11 after a popular uprising.

Mubarak is expected to be moved to a women’s prison in Cairo.

Once a low-key first lady known for her focus on women and children rights, she had in the last decade become known as a powerful mover in politics.

She was believed to be a strong backer of her son Gamal’s efforts to succeed his father as well as another son Alaa’s business activities. She was known to have a say in the promotion of senior officials, and liked to be called “Hanem,” or “Madam,” as institutions and schools carrying her name mushroomed.

Her detention order came as thousands of Egyptians returned to Cairo’s Tahrir square, rallying in solidarity with Palestinians and denouncing recent Muslim-Christian violence.

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