First trial hearing of businessman’s son over DUI crash postponed to Feb. 5

CAIRO – 1 January 2021: The Giza Criminal Court ruled Saturday to postpone the first hearing of the trial of Karim el-Hawary, who is accused in Sheikh Zayed collision to February 5.

Saturday witnessed the first hearing in the case, held at the Central Security Camp Court.

Last month, Karim el-Hawary, the defendant, was driving an Aston Martin when he hit the victims’ car, killing the four inside, all below 18 except for the driver, who was just past 18 himself.

CCTV installed at a nearby house in the upscale city of Sheikh Zayed just outside Cairo showed the accident and the high speed at which Hawary was driving when he hit another car from behind. Hawary survived but remains at hospital with police guarding his room.

Egypt’s prosecution referred Hawary to the criminal court over charges of manslaughter while driving under the influence.

Hawari stands before the Giza Criminal Court over accusations of manslaughter associated with negligence, recklessness and drug use while driving his car in Sheikh Zayed City.

Per investigations, the Public Prosecution charged him with committing the felony of possessing the substance of cocaine drug with the intent to abuse, and that he mistakenly caused the death of four people, including three children, and that was as a result of his negligence, carelessness and lack of caution, and failure to adhere to the laws, by driving a car at a high speed under the influence of the use of the aforementioned narcotic and another intoxicant without taking into account the distance between him and the victims’ car.

Surveillance cameras in the accident area were retrieved and footage showing Hawary driving his car at a very high speed, and hitting another car from behind, toppling it in a deadly crash that caused the death of the passengers of the second car.

The Public Prosecution had attached to the referral order the evidence confirming that the accused committed the crimes attributed to him, which included the testimony of six eyewitnesses, of whom two saw the incident as concluded by the Public Prosecution’s investigations, as well as the forensic doctor who examined the sample taken from the accused, which tested positive to drug abuse; cocaine and ethyl alcohol.