TV presenter among 11 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case
Sarah Khalifa is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible which dealt with crime issues.
TV presenter among 11 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case
Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted of drugs charges.
According to state-owned al-Akhram newspaper, they were part of a criminal gang that imported ingredients used to make drugs with the aim of selling them.
They also possessed illegal firearms and ammunition.
She has denied the charges.
The verdict, which can be appealed, was first announced last month.
However, it was only confirmed a month later after the court received a religious opinion from Egypt’s grand mufti, a legal requirement in death sentence cases.
During the trial, the court heard that authorities had seized more than 750kg (1,653lbs) of narcotics and the imported raw materials used to make them.
Twenty witnesses had given statements to prosecutors, al-Akhram said, along with electronic evidence including conversations and video clips.
According to the state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper, when asked by the judge about her alleged role during a court appearance last September, Khalifa said she had never seen any drugs until she was photographed with them inside the anti-narcotics authority offices.
The defendants were found guilty of drug trafficking and rape, "crimes that did not amount to 'intentional killing' to which the use of the death penalty must be restricted under international law and standards", the report said.