3 defendants deny rape accusations in ‘Fairmont case’

CAIRO – 3 November 2020: Three defendants denied Tuesday charges of raping a girl in the what is known as “Fairmont Case” during investigations.

The defendants were questioned via video conference technology, and the President of New Cairo Appeals Court Judge Kamal Masoud ordered their detention renewal by 45 days pending investigations.

The Public Prosecution is carrying out investigations into the Fairmont rape incident that took place in 2014 inside Fairmont Hotel, after the three defendants, Ahmed Toulan, Amr Hussein and Khaled Hussein, were arrested in Lebanon per Interpol Egypt’s request.

The Egyptian Public Prosecution on August 26 revealed that the seven defendants left the country between July 27 and July 29. The victim reported the 2014 rape on Aug. 4, upon which the prosecution immediately put them on the travel ban list.

A day later, the Egyptian authorities announced that another defendant in the case was arrested and detained for four days pending investigations; Amir Zayed was arrested on August 26 as he was trying to flee the country like his seven co-defendants who traveled abroad in late July after their names were circulated on social media.

In a statement from the ISF on Saturday, Interpol Egypt on August 27 notified the Lebanese authorities of names of fleeing seven defendants, who participated in raping the girl as it has been revealed in a video submitted to the Egyptian Public Prosecution, to Lebanon.

After conducting investigations by the Lebanese authorities, it has been revealed that only five men entered Lebanon late July, the statement added, noting that two out of the five fugitives already fled Lebanon and the three others were arrested on August 28, 2020.