Cairo: Celebrated Egyptian actress Mena Shalaby will stand on criminal trial next month on charges of possessing drugs for personal use, local media reported.
Shalaby’s trial at a Cairo criminal court will start on January 5, Al Masry Al Youm said. The Egyptian public prosecution said evidence against the actress includes five witnesses, police investigations, surveillance cameras at Cairo airport where she had been caught in possession of the drugs, and results of lab examinations of the seized substances.
Last month, Egyptian prosecutors ordered Shalaby’s release on bail pending further investigations, hours after she was arrested allegedly for possessing drugs.
The 40-year-old actress was arrested at Cairo airport after customs officers had found drugs in her possession upon her return from the US, media reports said.
After thorough search of Shalaby’s luggage, substances suspected to be drugs were found inside them, Egypt’s public prosecution said in a statement at the time.
A report from the anti-drug police, presented to the prosecution, said investigations into the incident proved the actress possessed the substances for the purpose of personal use, the statement added.
Several Egyptian media carried images of the purported drugs, including 12 marijuana satchels. In investigations, Shalaby denied any link to the drugs.
Prosecutors then ordered the seized items be sent to the forensic medicine department to examine and decide if they contain any narcotic substances.
Shalaby has performed in several films and TV serials, which have earned her wide popularity and some prizes.
