Australian journalist Peter Greste could know by next week if he'll be convicted for a second time of terrorism charges in Egypt.
A retrial for Mr Greste and his Al Jazeera colleagues Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed is reaching its conclusion in Cairo.
The court will hear closing defence submissions on Thursday morning Cairo time (1630 AEST).
Mr Greste, who expects a verdict by Wednesday next week, fears he'll be convicted in absentia because he's been unable to return to Egypt to defend himself.
He says he's in an impossible situation, having been ordered by the court to return despite his deportation in February on the orders of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
He says he can't legally go back, and so far the court has refused to allow him to present evidence via video link.
"It looks as though I won't be able to present any defence," he told AAP on Wednesday.
Mr Greste said the prosecution had failed to offer any hard evidence to support charges that the Al Jazeera journalists had supported the black-listed Muslim Brotherhood group of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
The three, who were also accused of spreading false information, were arrested in December 2013 and initially convicted of terrorism-related charges in a trial derided as politically motivated.
Mr Greste spent 400 days jail before he was deported, and a retrial was subsequently ordered.
At a hearing in May, the judge ordered Mr Greste to appear or risk being convicted in absentia.
Mr Greste said he hoped the court would accept there was no basis to the charges, which US President Barack Obama has urged Egypt to drop.
"The prosecution hasn't presented any solid evidence to confirm any of the allegations against us," Mr Greste said.
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