The 39-year-old presenter was convicted alongside 11 others in a major synthetic-drugs case, although the death sentences can still be appealed.
Cairo, Egypt (Running Africa) — Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging alongside 11 other defendants after a Cairo Criminal Court convicted them in a major synthetic-drugs trafficking case.
The ruling follows a prosecution that accused the defendants of operating an organized criminal network involved in importing raw materials used to manufacture synthetic narcotics and distributing the drugs.
The case also involved charges related to unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Sarah Khalifa Among 12 Sentenced to Death
Prosecutors alleged that the criminal network used a residential property to store raw materials and manufacture synthetic narcotics.
Authorities said investigators seized more than 750 kilograms of synthetic drugs and raw materials during the case.
The prosecution presented testimony from 20 witnesses, along with digital and technical evidence, including messages, photographs, and videos.
Khalifa, known for presenting the crime-focused television program Mission Impossible, has denied the accusations against her.
Nine Receive Life Sentences, Seven Acquitted
Alongside the 12 defendants sentenced to death, the Cairo Criminal Court handed life imprisonment to nine other defendants.
Seven people were acquitted.
The death sentences were issued after the case was referred to Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a procedural requirement in capital cases.
The Grand Mufti’s opinion is advisory and does not bind the court when it delivers its final judgment.
Sarah Khalifa Can Appeal Death Sentence
Despite the Cairo court’s ruling, Khalifa and the other convicted defendants retain the right to appeal their sentences before Egypt’s Court of Cassation.
That means the death sentences are not yet final and remain subject to further judicial proceedings.
The case has attracted attention because of Khalifa’s public profile and the scale of the alleged narcotics operation.
With more than 750 kilograms of drugs and manufacturing materials reportedly seized, the case represents a significant synthetic-drugs prosecution in Egypt. Attention will now turn to whether Khalifa and the other defendants challenge their convictions and sentences before the country’s highest appeals court.
