The attorney general referred 12 suspects in a human trafficking case to criminal court Wednesday, including a Saudi former chief judge and his two brothers — a prosecutor and a businessman — as well as a Palestinian man, judicial sources said.
The sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that an appeals court would set a date for the first trial session, which would be held at South Giza Court.
The defendants face charges of human trafficking, facilitating prostitution, inciting immoral acts and establishing a brothel.
The primary suspect in the case is a 58-year-old businesswoman who allegedly provided underage girls to Gulf businessmen for a week to have sex in a villa she owns, and that men were allowed to view and choose the girls. The businesswoman is also accused of previously facilitating the deportation of the girls to other Arab countries.
The prosecution examined 300 unregistered marriage contracts between Arabs and underage girls, whom the main defendant allegedly kept in her villa in the Giza neighborhood of Ahram Plateau.
Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud also issued an order to seize the funds and property of the main defendant, as well as that of her husband — also a suspect — and her children, including all of their real estate, bank accounts and land. The husband, however, died in jail.
According to investigations by the prosecution, the woman had one of the girls receive hymen reconstruction surgery five times. The woman has supposedly been in the business for months, dealing only with Gulf businessmen and not Egyptians.
Security forces arrested four alleged gang members, four Saudis and the parents of three of the girls. The prosecution remanded the defendants into custody for four days pending investigations. It also referred three girls to a care house for victims of human trafficking, and authorities seized the villa used by the main defendant.
Preliminary investigations by the security bodies alleged that the defendant lured young girls and gave their families LE10,000 a week. The main defendant allegedly received 80 percent of the money while the other 20 percent went to the girls and their families.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
