CAIRO: The Giza Criminal Court received Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa’s approval to carry out the death sentence on Mahmoud Sayed Abdel Hafez Essawy, 20, for the murder of Heba El-Akkad and Nadine Khaled.
Ahmed Gomaa, Essawy’s lawyer, told Daily News Egypt that he plans on appealing the verdict.
“I have 60 days to appeal the verdict, the lawyer said, “I am 100 percent sure that the judge will accept the request [to appeal].
Essawy was found guilty in the high-profile murder case that took place in Khaled’s home in Al-Nada compound in Sheikh Zayed city last November.
The court issued the verdict on Wednesday after it received Gomaa’s approval – a regular procedure in Egyptian courts in regards to the death penalty.
In its statement, the court said it based its decision on evidence provided by the prosecution and the victims’ lawyers and rejected Essawy’s defense.
