Cairo: An Egyptian court has sentenced film star Mohammed Ramadan to one year in prison on charges of slandering a pilot who lost his job after Ramadan posted a video showing him inside a jet cockpit, legal sources said.
The Misdemeanour Dokki Court in Cairo ordered Ramadan to pay a bail of 10,000 Egyptian pounds (Dh2,309) pending an appeal against the verdict and an extra LE20,000 in fine, the sources added.
The ruling is related to a libel case filed by ex-pilot Ashraf Abul Youssr against Ramadan for claiming in a TV interview that Abul Youssr had demanded LE9.5 million in compensation after the latter had been sacked.
Last year, Egypt’s aviation authorities banned the pilot from duty and revoked his licence after Ramadan appeared in an online video inside the cockpit of the plane piloted by Abul Youssr during a flight to Saudi Arabia.
The video, which went viral online, showed the Egyptian actor-cum-singer inside the cabin sitting next to a pilot and pretending to operate the aircraft. The Civil Aviation Authority said the footage was authentic and the plane belonged to a private Egyptian airline.
Hailing the ruling against Ramadan as a “victory”, the ex-pilot said he has filed another lawsuit against Ramadan requesting damages with the ruling expected next month.
There was no immediate comment from the 32-year-old actor.
