Sarah Khalifa Was Sentenced to Death in Egypt. Here’s What Happens Next

Sarah Khalifa
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Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death, but the Sept. 5 judgment does not end her legal fight.

A Cairo Criminal Court sentenced the 39-year-old presenter and 11 other defendants to death after convicting them in a major synthetic-drug manufacturing and trafficking case. Prosecutors had charged 28 people in connection with the alleged network.

Khalifa has repeatedly denied involvement. Her lawyer, Mohamed El-Gendy, now says she is expected to sign appeal papers Tuesday, Sept. 15, beginning another stage in a case that has drawn attention far beyond Egypt.

Egypt changed its felony appeals system in 2024. A Felony Appeals Court can reconsider the evidence, the prosecution’s case and the role attributed to each defendant before a death sentence becomes final.

A Cairo Court Sentenced Khalifa and 11 Others to Death

The Cairo Criminal Court convicted Khalifa and 11 co-defendants of participating in an organized criminal group involved in obtaining materials used to manufacture synthetic narcotics for trafficking.

The prosecution also accused members of the group of possessing and transporting unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Nine other defendants received life sentences, while seven were acquitted.

Prosecutors said the case was supported by testimony from 20 witnesses along with technical and digital evidence, including messages, photographs and videos that they said documented the alleged operation.

Investigators seized more than 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and raw materials used in their production, according to prosecutors. Two defendants remained at large when the case went to trial.

Khalifa’s brother Mohamed was also among those sentenced to death. Prosecutors accused him of taking part in manufacturing the drugs and helping test batches after they were produced.

Prosecutors Said Khalifa Helped Finance and Coordinate the Network

According to Euronews’ review of the proceedings, prosecutors accused her of providing money used to buy materials for the operation, traveling outside Egypt to meet senior members of the alleged network and helping coordinate activities among participants.

Egyptian law allows capital punishment for some serious narcotics offenses, including manufacturing drugs for trafficking and taking part in an organized trafficking group. The charges against Khalifa therefore involved alleged production and distribution.

One substance identified by forensic experts was MDMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid. Its legal classification became one of the disputed issues at trial.

A court-appointed committee found that the compound was not specifically named on Egypt’s controlled-narcotics list but concluded that its chemical structure and effects placed it within existing restrictions. The defense challenged that interpretation, but the trial court accepted the committee’s conclusion.

Khalifa Has Consistently Denied Involvement

Khalifa has maintained that she is innocent and has denied having any connection to the drugs. She told the court that she had never even smoked a cigarette, according to reporting after the verdict. Footage circulating on social media appeared to show an emotional Khalifa speaking during the proceedings. 

Khalifa is known for television work including the crime-focused program Mission Impossible and also built a large social-media following. She was arrested in Cairo in April 2025 as part of the investigation.

Her defense team has continued to maintain her innocence since the judgment and says it intends to challenge both the conviction and sentence.

The First Appeal Can Reconsider the Evidence

Khalifa’s next major legal step is expected to be an appeal before Egypt’s Felony Appeals Court. Law No. 1 of 2024 changed the country’s felony procedure by creating a full appeal stage for judgments issued by first-instance criminal courts. Unlike the narrower review traditionally associated with cassation, the appeals court can reconsider the substance of the case.

That means judges can review evidence, prosecution arguments and the role attributed to each defendant. The appeals court can uphold the judgment, change the punishment or overturn a conviction.

Recent Egyptian cases show that the new system can materially alter sentences. Euronews reported that a Felony Appeals Court in Mansoura replaced a death sentence with 15 years in prison in an unrelated murder case in August after reviewing witnesses and the case file.

If Khalifa does not obtain the result she seeks at that stage, a further legal challenge can be brought before Egypt’s Court of Cassation. The Cassation court’s role is narrower and focuses principally on questions of law and serious procedural defects.

The Grand Mufti Had Already Reviewed the Proposed Death Sentences

Before formally sentencing Khalifa, the trial court referred her case and those of 12 other defendants to Egypt’s Grand Mufti. Egyptian procedure requires judges who intend to impose a death sentence to reach a unanimous decision and seek the Mufti’s opinion before formally issuing the punishment.

The Mufti’s opinion is advisory and does not bind the court. Thirteen defendants were referred at that stage. After the Mufti process, Khalifa and 11 others, 12 defendants in total, received death sentences.

A Final Death Sentence Would Still Face Another Procedural Step

Even if Khalifa were eventually to exhaust her judicial challenges and the death sentence became final, Egyptian procedure provides an additional step before execution.

Under the country’s criminal-procedure rules, the Justice Minister must send the file of a final death sentence to the president. The president has constitutional authority to grant a pardon or reduce the punishment.

Egypt’s new Criminal Procedure Code, which takes effect Oct. 1, preserves that presidential review mechanism in substantially similar form. 

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