PUTRAJAYA, June 18 — Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah is shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden passing of former Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi after collapsing in court yesterday.

"I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family of Mursi and the people of Egypt. Mr Mursi’s contribution to justice and democracy in Egypt will be remembered. May Allah bless his soul and grant him Jannah,” he said in a statement today.

Saifuddin said during his tenure as the president, Mursi showed courage and moral fortitude in his attempt to lead Egypt away from decades of authoritarian rule and establish true democracy there.

Mursi was Egypt’s first democratically-elected president following the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.

Mursi faced a host of charges after he was ousted and imprisoned in a 2013 military coup led by current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Mursi, 67, died yesterday during his trial on "espionage” charges. He had requested to speak during the session before he fainted and died. — Bernama