An Ismailia criminal court announced its decision to sentence two Egyptians and acquit nine others charged with using forged contracts to sell to foreign buyers housing units at Coral Bay, Sharm al-Sheikh. The defendants claimed the contracts were issued by the South Sinai notary office. The nine suspects included one Italian who owns an Italian firm which marketed the land, and several South Sinai government officials. A court statement urged legislators to intercede in an effort to save Sinai from what it described as a “new, well-organized foreign invasion." It also pleaded for amendments to current legislation to prohibit the sale of Sinai land to foreigners. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
