Wafa Makky's 10-year prison sentence lessened to 3 years

A Cairo court ruling on Sunday June 29, 2003 has lessened the 10 year prison sentence for Egyptian actress Wafa Makky to 3 years for the beating of her maids. The court ruling also sentenced all other parties involved in the case, like her mother and other relatives, to a one year prison term each for assisting in the beatings of the maids.  

Makky who is currently serving a jail sentence for ruthlessly battering her maids revealed that the whole trial was a scam and that she was falsely set up, and had previously filed for an appeal for her 10 year jail sentence. According to the London based Elaph, her defense was that she was set up by the father of the maids that were working for her and that he had blackmailed the actress demanding money or else he will take her to jail under false charges. The father was given 40 thousand Egyptian pounds and in fact evidence was presented in front of the court of the whole matter.  

After the defense presented new evidence the court decided to reinvestigate the trial to reach a fair and just verdict. New witnesses are to be presented in front of the court and Wafa along with the others charged will get the chance to present their testimony on a new trial date.  

The thirty-six year old actress was convicted in December 2002 for torturing her two housemaids, sisters (Marwa, 16, and Hanadi Abdul Hamid, 19), in collaboration with her 57- year old mother. The Criminal Court in the Egyptian governorate of Al Munofiyah issued the 10-year imprisonment verdict against Makky, who was apprehended after weeks of fleeing along with her mother.  

The case goes back to last September when passer-byes found one of the two maids (Marwa) lying down unconscious and wounded near the rail road; moved her to the hospital and notified the concerned authorities. Investigations revealed that Marwa and her sister Hanadi were harshly beaten by Makki after they accidentally walked in on the actress with another man in an indecent situation inside her room.  

The incident, which aroused the Egyptian public opinion last year, spurred the Actors Association to issue a resolution barring Makki from acting upon her conviction. Many Egyptian newspapers and magazines have published detailed reports on the incident with pictures of torture seen on the maids’ bodies. – Albawaba.com