CAIRO: A panel of judges has recommended the dissolution of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group from which President Mohammed Mursi hails.

The recommendation issued Wednesday is not binding, but is significant given charges by the opposition that the Brotherhood's leadership is the real power behind Mursi. The president and Brotherhood have repeatedly denied the charge.

The recommendation was made to a high administrative court expected to rule this month in a case over the Brotherhood's legitimacy.

The Brotherhood's legal status has for years been caught up in multiple court cases. Formed in 1928, it was dissolved in 1954 by military rulers. It was banned until the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, after which the ruling military lifted the ban. The group says it is a legal organization.