CAIRO — A legal consultant at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo said over 25 Saudi prisoners were transferred from Egypt to prisons in the Kingdom and there were currently two Saudi prisoners remaining. Muhammad Jamal Adeen said one would stand trial within a few months while the other will be sent to the Kingdom soon to complete his prison term there. The prisoner, who will stand trial in May is Lafi Al-Shammary who was sentenced to death by an Egyptian court in 2010 for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine into Egypt. The death sentence was revoked a few weeks ago and the prisoner was supposed to stand trial again in February. However, the tumultuous situation in Port Said made it difficult for the court to hold any trial, as it was difficult to transfer Al-Shammary from Port Said Prison to Al-Ismaliya Court. This is why his case was adjourned to May. Adeen said the Saudi Embassy in Cairo assigned a committee composed of a lawyer, doctor and one of the embassy's employees in charge of welfare affairs to pay the prisoner regular visits and follow up on his case. Once the Egyptian court rules on Al-Shammary's case, he will be sent to the Kingdom to spend the rest of his prison term there. The legal consultant talked about another Saudi prisoner who spent four years in an Egyptian prison for losing 24 million Egyptian pounds he took from different people after promising them high profits. He was sentenced to seven years and ordered to repay the entire amount in addition to 1 million Egyptian pounds in bail. Jamal Adeen said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah paid the bail and the Saudi Embassy completed all necessary procedures for the prisoner to be transferred to the Kingdom. His transfer will take place soon. The Kingdom and Egypt signed a prisoner exchange agreement in 2008, which is why the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants any Saudi prisoner in Egypt to complete his prison term in the Kingdom, Adeen said. Most of the Saudi prisoners repatriated to the Kingdom were given five to 10 years prison sentences on various charges. Adeen said the embassy has assigned a team of lawyers to take care of Saudi prisoners. When Egyptian authorities inform the embassy of any Saudi citizen who has been arrested, the embassy deploys lawyers immediately. The embassy sent the lawyers and released the Saudis and ensured that they did not stay in prison while investigations were still ongoing. “Egyptian law considers anyone charged with a crime innocent until proven guilty.” Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmad Qattan always gives full attention to cases involving Saudis in the country, Adeen said.
