Human trafficking gang handed imprisonment sentences of up to 16 yrs

CAIRO - 20 March 2019: The Giza Criminal Court handed 40 defendants imprisonment sentences ranging from 3 to 16 years over involvement in forming a network that used to smuggle immigrants.

The case has been known in media as the "biggest"human trafficking case.

In May 2018, Egypt’s Attorney General, Nabil Sadek, referred the 40 defendants to the Criminal Court on charges of human trafficking and smuggling immigrants.

The Public Funds Prosecution initiated an investigation into information provided by the Administrative Control Authority (ACA). The ACA said that an employee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is exploiting his position to orchestrate human trafficking and smuggling of immigrants.

The employee conspired with others to introduce minor females into the world of prostitution according to the authorities’ investigations. He also faced charges of embezzlement, bribery and forgery.

According to the investigation,the gang managed to gain financial benefits from sexual exploitation of girls, as one of its members recruited needy girls and involved them in several illegal relationships.

The General Department of Public Funds Crimes' Investigation Police also found that some of the defendants smuggled a minor girl to an Arab country under a marriage contract.

The defendants reportedly admitted the crimes they committed when confronted with the results of the investigations.