Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa sentenced to death in major drug case
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa sentenced to death in major drug case")
Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa Photograph: (Instagram | Sarah Khalifa)
Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others were sentenced to death over an alleged synthetic drug manufacturing and trafficking network.
An Egyptian Court sentenced prominent TV presenter Sarah Khalifa along with 11 others to capital punishment on September 5 for their alleged involvement in a high-profile synthetic drug manufacturing and trafficking network. The Cairo Criminal Court also sentenced nine co-defendants and acquitted seven others in the related case.
Egyptian state-run Al-Ahram and Akhbar Al-Youm referred to the proceedings as a “major drug case”. They were accused of forming an organised criminal group that imported materials used to manufacture narcotics before producing and distributing the drugs in Egypt. Anti-narcotics authorities seized over 750 kilograms of synthetic drugs and raw materials. They also uncovered two residential apartments used as laboratories for manufacturing drugs, unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
According to prosecutors, members divided roles between procurement, manufacturing and distribution. The 39-year-old presenter has allegedly financed the operation and travelled around the world to coordinate activities with two of the network's leaders. The prosecution's case included statements from 20 witnesses as well as technical and digital evidence, including messages, photographs and videos.
The verdict was conveyed after consultation with the Grand Mufti, with his non-binding religious opinion. The verdict is not final and can be appealed for a retrial before the Court of Cassation. Egypt enforces the death penalty for high-volume drug trafficking, premeditated murder, and terrorism.
Who is Sarah Khalifa?
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
Khalifa is a prominent TV presenter in Egypt known for her show “Mission Impossible”. She hosted the security and crime television programme broadcast on Al-Mehwar TV. She also has a large digital media following, with over 2.5 million followers on Instagram. She also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a production company that organises parties and events. She was previously married to prominent Egyptian football player Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim, widely known by his nickname "Kahraba". But the pair parted ways in 2016 after a few months of their marriage.
Throughout the proceedings, Khalifa strongly maintained her innocence, breaking down in court, requesting mercy from the court and claiming that she had never smoked a cigarette in her life. “Please listen to me, sir. My parents raised me well; they are people who pray, and I don’t need drug money.”
She was also handed an additional prison sentence of three years by the same court over a separate incident involving the kidnapping, assault, and filming of her driver.
