Egyptian Host of TV Crime Program Sentenced to Death by Hanging for Drug Charges
By The Media Line Staff
An Egyptian court sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging on drug charges after finding them guilty of involvement in a criminal gang that imported raw materials to manufacture and sell narcotics, state-owned al-Ahram newspaper reported Saturday.
Khalifa, 39, hosts the television program Mission Impossible, which focuses on crime topics. She has denied the charges against her.
The Cairo court found that Khalifa was part of a group involved in importing materials used to produce narcotics and selling the drugs. An investigation resulted in authorities seizing more than 750 kilograms of drugs and raw materials and discovering two apartments being used as clandestine laboratories.
Prosecutors presented testimony from 20 witnesses during the case. They also submitted technical and digital evidence, including messages, photographs and videos that they said documented the defendants’ criminal activities.
The Cairo Criminal Court also convicted the defendants of possessing firearms and ammunition without a license.
In addition to the 12 defendants sentenced to death, the court on Saturday imposed life sentences on nine defendants. Seven others were acquitted of all charges.
Khalifa and the other defendants convicted in the case can appeal their verdicts to the Court of Cassation, Egypt’s highest court for criminal cases.
In addition to her television work, Khalifa owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a production company specializing in event management.
Khalifa has also faced prosecution in a separate criminal case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man. She and several other defendants were sentenced to five years in prison in that case.
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