On Thursday, the Egyptian Court of Cassation ruled to uphold the ruling issued earlier by the Criminal Court imprisoning the artist Menna Shalabi for a year, accusing her of drug possession.
Egyptian media reported, among them newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that the ruling to imprison Shalabi for one year, suspended for 3 years, and to fine her 10,000 pounds, accusing her of “possessing the essence of narcotic hashish with the intention of using it,” has become final.
The previous ruling was issued in January of last year, after the Public Prosecution ordered on December 21, 2022, to refer the prominent actress to criminal trial.
About a month before the referral, Cairo Airport authorities seized narcotic substances inside Shalabi’s luggage during her return from the United States, which prompted her to be taken to the Public Prosecution, which decided to release her pending investigation on financial bail.
Egyptian star Menna Shalaby was sentenced to prison on charges of drug abuse
Cairo Airport authorities seized narcotic drugs inside Shalabi’s luggage during her return from the United States
The case of the young actress sparked controversy on social media platforms between her defenders and those opposed to her, which prompted the Syndicate of Acting Professions in Egypt to issue a statement demanding that everyone “respect the privacy of its members and not delve into their symptoms.”
The Egyptian artist was among the nominees for the International Emmy Award for her role in a drama entitled “Every Week There is a Friday.”
In 2019, Shalaby won the “Faten Hamama” Appreciation Award at the Cairo Film Festival for her artistic career, which included more than 60 works between cinema, drama, and radio.