Egypt's Attorney General, Hamada El-Sawy, has ordered the detention of two suspects who impersonated members of the public prosecution in an attempt to seize footage of the Sheikh Zayed collision. The incident relates to the case against the accused, Karim El-Hawari, who is facing criminal trial for the accident.
One witness to the Sheikh Zayed collision submitted a complaint while the public prosecution was investigating the case, stating that he presented footage of the incident recorded by surveillance cameras installed at his residence. On the morning of December 13, he was surprised by the arrival of four individuals claiming to be members of the public prosecution seeking to review the surveillance footage. Doubting their claims, he refused their request and filed a complaint, which the public prosecution took over for investigation.
The complainant provided the prosecution with two video clips showing the four individuals at his residence. He recognized two of them who were present at the prosecution office during the inquiry, prompting the prosecution to order their arrest.
Security personnel at the complainant's residence were questioned and corroborated his account, stating that the four suspects had entered the residential complex and approached the complainant's home directly. However, when they were leaving through the exit gate, a security guard stopped them to check their identification, but one of the suspects reprimanded him and falsely claimed to hold a prosecutorial position, enabling them to exit. The security personnel also provided surveillance footage showing the suspects' entry and exit.
During the prosecution's questioning of the detained suspects, they refused to respond to the allegations against them, revealing that they are both lawyers, one of whom is representing the accused Karim El-Hawari in the case. They claimed to feel unwell, leading the prosecution to arrange for them to be taken to a hospital. Subsequent investigations by the police confirmed their impersonation of public prosecution members along with two others involved in the incident, according to Al-Yawm Al-Sabi newspaper.
Upon re-questioning the suspects, after medical reports indicated that they were not suffering from any illnesses and that their vital signs were stable, they admitted to being present at the location as the complainant described and acknowledged their appearances in the provided video clips. They identified the other two suspects but denied the accusations of interference in a public function by impersonating members of the public prosecution.
Consequently, the public prosecution ordered their detention for four days pending further investigation and the arrest of the other suspects for questioning, with investigations ongoing.
