Egyptian actress Menna Shalaby was given a suspended sentence of one year in prison and a 10,000 Egyptian pound fine ($347 USD) on Thursday, following her arrest in November 2022 for cannabis possession, The National News reports.
Cannabis is illegal in Egypt, though the country still sees a decent amount of cannabis use and cultivation. The initial arrest and verdict were met with outrage among fans, friends and family members of Shalaby—including celebrities—who spoke out in the actress’s defense on social media networks. At the time of her arrest, a number of cannabis activists also came to Shalaby’s defense.
Shalaby’s lawyer, Mohamed Bahaa Abu Shaqqa, also said that he believes officials tampered with evidence to frame the actress at Cairo Criminal Court. Abu Shaqqa delivered his defense to the court on Thursday and accused two customs officers of malpractice in court, Hany Abu Taleb and Haitham Abd El Hakim, whose testimonies were pivotal in Shalaby’s conviction. The two officers searched the actress’s luggage on November 25 as she returned from a trip to New York City.
Abu Shaqqa said his suspicion was due to Shalaby’s absence while her bags were being searched. The law says that passengers must always be present while their bags are searched at airport security.
Shalaby has continually denied that the cannabis belonged to her. Her previous reports indicated that, after landing, she was taken into a closed room at the airport, asked to wait and questioned about her usage of other drugs, which she denied. Custom officials reportedly disappeared, only to return and inform Shalaby that she was under arrest.
Abu Shaqqa said that prosecutors were given 42 minutes of footage of the entire incident, including a one-minute clip of Shalaby approaching the X-ray belt for one minute. Prosecutors requested more video footage and were told by customs that the 42-minute clip was all they had. This detail struck some as questionable; given that there are more than 2,500 working security cameras at Cairo’s airport, Abu Shaqqa said that there should have been available footage of officers searching the actress’s bags.
Abu Shaqqa also accused customs of omitting the testimony of a V.I.P. airport guide who accompanies high-profile travelers through security. The guide said he only saw the officer presenting Shalaby with a vape before he tended to other work. Shalaby’s lawyer also presented the judges with evidence of conflicting chemical reports issued on the items found in Shalaby’s luggage.
After the defense’s address, the prosecution advised the judges to issue the harshest possible punishment for the actress. After deliberating for an hour, the judges returned with their verdict.
Shalabi was the first Arab to be nominated for an International Emmy, according to her IMDb page. She always dreamed of becoming an actress, starring in her first film, Al-saher, in 2001. Between myriad TV shows and films, she currently has 53 actor credits since 2000.
While fans and supporters are still chatting about the verdict, Shalaby has yet to make a public statement.
