Sabry Nakhnoukh Goes on Trial in Cairo for Antiquities Possession and Show of Force
Cairo Criminal Court examined the trial of Egyptian businessman Sabry Nakhnoukh on charges that include the possession of antiquities, alongside separate allegations of armed intimidation, show of force, and the forced takeover of a car showroom.
The proceedings before the Cairo Criminal Court encompass multiple legal actions involving Nakhnoukh and ten other co-defendants, presided over by Judge Hisham Al-Darandaly. According to case files from the Public Prosecution, authorities executed search warrants at Nakhnoukh’s residence and associated premises following a complaint filed by a car showroom owner. The search recovered the showroom’s stolen surveillance camera recording unit inside Nakhnoukh’s bedroom, alongside two automatic rifles, a machine gun, a pistol, sound and air pressure weapons, nearly a thousand rounds of ammunition, five unlicensed communication devices, and ten antiquities. Additional forensic examinations of the defendants’ mobile phones revealed digital recordings pointing to separate allegations of kidnapping linked to physical torture, forced signatures, unlicensed weapons, and aggressive wild animals.
Nakhnoukh Claims Antiquities Were Decorative Items
During the investigation into the antiquities found inside a leather bag beneath a bedroom wardrobe, Nakhnoukh told investigators that he acquired the pieces from an acquaintance in Alexandria approximately seven years prior, retaining them as decorative items and antiques while stating he could not remember the specific name of the individual who gave them to him. In the same investigative file, a domestic worker employed at the villa for two years recounted hearing dog barks and outside commotion before encountering roughly ten to eleven plainclothes individuals who identified themselves as governmental authorities, demanded her phone and keys out of fear, and restricted her access until the arrival of Nakhnoukh’s wife, Carla.
Car Showroom Raid and Show of Force
The prosecution’s case regarding the car showroom incident details an intrusion stemming from financial disputes, during which staff members were assaulted and injuries were inflicted. Police investigations and surveillance camera footage reviewed by officers corroborated that the defendants arrived in three vehicles, entering the premises while positioning individuals outside to block public interference. During the court hearings, all defendants formally denied the charges brought against them, while the Public Prosecution requested the maximum legal penalties under the indictment.
Criminal Courts Schedule High-Profile Proceedings
Judicial dockets for the upcoming week feature several high-profile proceedings spanning murder, assault, and public interest cases scheduled before criminal circuits, appeal panels, and specialized courts from Saturday through Thursday. These notably include the retrial of eight defendants in the Rabaa sit-in dispersal before the Counter-Terrorism Appellate Criminal Court, the proceedings for 168 defendants in the Tagamoa Cell case (Case No. 29 of 2025, Tagamoa Felonies) before the Second Terrorism Circuit headed by Counselor Wajdi Abdel Moneim on October 11, and the trial of 12 defendants in the Tagamoa Administrative Committees Cell (Case No. 4724 of 2025) before the same judicial bench sitting in Badr on October 12. Additional scheduled matters comprise the continued trial of Ismail Dollar and four others before the Mokattam Misdemeanor Court on October 14 regarding assault and show of force allegations against cafe tenants in Mokattam, alongside the family court appeal filed by Yara Hossam Hassan set for the following Thursday against a ruling ordering her to return engagement gifts to her former fiancé, businessman Ahmed Rashid.