Child sexual assault, Egyptian tycoon gets 3 years in prison

Egyptian media and real estate mogul Mohamed el-Amin – Photo: AFP

The tycoon el-Amin was arrested in January on accusations that he sexually assaulted girls at an orphanage in the city of Beni Suef, about 100km south of Cairo, according to AFP news agency. male.

Media tycoon el-Amin used to own the CBC TV channel (Egypt) before selling it in 2018.

A judicial source told AFP that oligarch el-Amin could appeal against the three-year prison sentence.

The case came to public attention after a Facebook page accused Mr el-Amin of sexually assaulting young girls.

In addition to the witnesses who “confirmed the statements of the victims”, related images were also found on the phone of the Egyptian businessman during the investigation, as well as audio recordings from the victims. reported that they were sexually assaulted.

Prosecutors said the victims accused el-Amin of regularly sexually assaulting them without their consent.

“He abused his power against orphaned girls who were sexually assaulted by him and threatened to kick them out of the orphanage if they denounced him,” the prosecutor said.

According to AFP, three years is the lightest penalty under Egyptian law. The maximum penalty for sexual assault in this country is 15 years in prison.

However, Egypt’s penal code provides for a minimum of seven years in prison if the victim is a minor or if the attacker abuses power over the victim. If both of these conditions are met, the defendant could face a maximum penalty of life in prison.