Minister follows up on Egyptian sentenced to 25 yrs in Saudi prison

CAIRO – 11 February 2021: Minister of Immigraiton Nabila Makram Abdel-Shaheed announced that the ministry has followed closely the case of the Egyptian engineer, "Ali Abu Al-Qasim," who had his death sentence reduced to 25 years in prison in Saudi Arabia.

Ali Abu al-Qasim was convicted in a drug trafficking case in Saudi Arabia, and the sentence was reduced Thursday to 25 years imprisonment after coordination between both Egyptian and Saudi sides that started two years ago when the first ruling was issued.

She explained that the ministry is exerting efforts to reduce the imprisonment ruling issued against the Egyptian national, as she confirms that the verdict issues is a first-degree ruling, and is open to appeal in two stages: before the Court of Appeal, and before the Court of Cassation, in accordance with the appeal system adopted by the Saudi judiciary.

The ministry said that within the framework of full cooperation and continuous coordination, the minister contacted the Egyptian Attorney General, Hamada Al-Sawy, who confirmed that the ruling issued Thursday is a first-degree ruling and there is a chance for appeal, explaining that the reasons for the judgment will be presented when it is deposited.

Minister Nabila Makram affirmed respect for the judicial rulings in Saudi Arabia, appreciating the technical cooperation between the judicial and parliamentary authorities between Egypt and the Kingdom and following the legal procedures, which succeeded in stopping the previous death sentence and returning the case to circulation again before the Saudi judiciary until the issuance of the last ruling.

Makram affirmed respect for the judicial rulings in Saudi Arabia, appreciating the technical cooperation between the judicial and parliamentary authorities between Egypt and the Kingdom, which succeeded in stopping the previous death sentence and returning the case to be considered again before the Saudi judiciary until the last ruling was issued Thursday.

She further emphasized that the official pages of the Egyptian state agencies and institutions are the source for accurate information, urging citizens not to share rumors before validation and refer to relevant institutions.

Over the past two years, the Ministry of Immigration contacted a large number of authorities and held meetings with the consulate, the Egyptian embassy in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi embassy in Cairo to stand on the dimensions of this case. This came Abu El-Qasim’s wife posted her husband’s story on social media, calling on Saudi authorities to re-investigate him to prove his innocence.