Egypt: Salafi preacher convicted of fraud, sentenced to seven years

The Cairo Criminal Court convicted Wednesday the Salafi politician Hazem Abu Ismail of fraud and sentenced him to seven years in prison, Reuters news agency reported.

The court charged Abu Ismail with forging his presidential candidacy papers in 2012 by claiming that his late mother did not hold American nationality. The Egyptian prosecution allegedly obtained papers proving that Ismail’s mother was an American citizen.

Egyptian law stipulates that parents of presidential candidates must not hold non-Egyptian citizenships.

In Saturday’s session, Abu Ismail reportedly protested against the court’s appointment of a lawyer to defend him after his lawyer withdrew. According to eyewitnesses, Ismail told the judge: “I feel as though I am not in a court. Are you hiring one of your lawyers to defend me?”

A source told Reuters that Ismail has been sentenced to one years with labour over his argument with the judge in Saturday’s hearing.