World Bulletin/News Desk

Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi has called for a press conference to reply to accusations that he used his presidential post to spy for other countries.

"I ask you to hold a press conference in my name [to respond to the allegations]," Morsi told his defense team during Tuesday's trial session on espionage charges.

During Tuesday's session, security official Adel Azab told the court that the Muslim Brotherhood – the group from which Morsi hails – had contested the 2012 presidential election "in an attempt to control the state with the goal of undermining the society and institutions to serve Israel's interests."

He also alleged that Morsi, a Brotherhood leader, had been awarded the presidential office as a reward for his spying activities.

Morsi, for his part, denied the allegations and asked to file a lawsuit against Azab.

"I won't go into detail; I reject this trial," he said. "In my capacity as citizen and president, I demand to file a lawsuit against Azab."

Morsi and 35 co-defendants are currently being tried on espionage charges, which the defendants insist are politically driven.

Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected leader, was ousted by the military last year – after only one year in office – following opposition protests against his presidency.

He currently faces multiple criminal charges, including incitement to murder, jailbreak and offending Egypt's judiciary.

Former army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, widely seen as the architect of Morsi's ouster, became president after being declared the winner of a May presidential poll.