The south Giza criminal court has postponed the trial of Fadya al-Sharqawi, a Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) employee charged with embezzling LE2.8 million. Court officials will hear witness testimonies on 19 October. The first session started yesterday at 11:30 AM. The prosecution demanded harsh punitive measures as a deterrent for similar crimes. Lawyer for the defendant, Talaat al-Sadat, requested bail on humanitarian grounds, and said there was a lack of documented evidence to prove the accused received the missing funds. The lawyer requested that witnesses, including the head of the public funds office at the Giza Security Department, Mohamed Nagui, and one of al-Sharqawi's colleagues, be summoned. He also requested the release of the defendant's medical and employment files, the release of the inspection report compiled by the CBE following the theft incident, documentation of employee procedures and records, and phone and video material. Meanwhile, the defendant's brother said al-Sharqawi had been working at the CBE for 25 years. He accused the police of fabricating the charges. The defendant had previously confessed to embezzling the money over time in order to pay off the enormous debts she incurred when she became involved in the illegal trade of gold. She has since retracted this admission. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
