Cairo: Egypt has sentenced television presenter Sara Khalifa and 11 other people to death after finding them guilty in a drug-related case involving an alleged criminal gang, imported drug-making materials, illegal weapons and ammunition.
The death sentences were first issued last month and were formally confirmed a month later after the court sought a religious opinion from Egypt’s Grand Mufti. Seeking the opinion is part of the legal procedure followed in death penalty cases in Egypt. His opinion is not binding on the court.
Khalifa, 39, is known for her television programme ‘Mission Impossible’, which dealt with crime-related cases.
She has denied the allegations against her and told the court that she had no involvement in the activities described by prosecutors.
What happened in the drug case?
The court also heard electronic evidence, including conversations and video clips, which prosecutors presented as part of their case against the accused. The death sentence does not end the defendants’ legal options. The defence can ask the court to review the lower court’s ruling and challenge the legal grounds behind the decision. Depending on the outcome, the sentence could be upheld, changed or the case could be sent back for another hearing.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that authorities had seized more than 750 kg of narcotics, along with raw materials brought from abroad for producing drugs. Al-Ahram reported that 20 witnesses gave evidence to prosecutors during the case.
Khalifa appeared in court in September last year when a judge asked her about her alleged role in the case, according to the state-owned newspaper Al-Youm. She told the court that she had never seen drugs before. She said the first time she saw narcotics was when she was photographed with them at the office of the anti-narcotics agency.
Khalifa and the other convicts can challenge the verdict before the Court of Cassation, Egypt’s highest court for criminal appeals.
