Cairo: Celebrated Egyptian actress Ghada Abdul Razeq was acquitted on Sunday of public indecency in a high-profile case after she appeared in a revealing video from her bedroom about six months ago, legal sources said.
The ruling was issued by the Misdemeanour Court in the south Cairo quarter of Maadi in response to a lawsuit filed against her, they added. The verdict can be appealed.
The case dates back to July when Ghada appeared clad in a nightie while talking live via her Instagram account from her bedroom. She soon removed the video reportedly after she was alerted by friends.
The clip, during which the actress looked unsteady, went viral online, amid claims she was drunk, prompting lawyer Samir Sabry to accuse her of outraging public morality in the conservative country. He filed a legal complaint against her.
Later, Ghada, 52, issued a public apology, saying she was on a painkiller medication that made her look unstable during the incident.
Since she launched her acting career in the late 1990s, Ghada has performed in a series of popular television dramas and films. In 2001, she soared to fame when she played the wife of a polygamous man in “The Haji Metwali’s Family”, a serial that angered feminists.
In 2007, she raised eyebrows in Egypt for portraying a lesbian in the melodrama “Heena Masysera” (Waiting for Better Times).
In recent years, several controversial entertainers have been brought to court for alleged immorality in Egypt.
Last month, an Egyptian court sentenced pop singer Shyma to two years in prison on charges of inciting debauchery for performing in a racy music video.
