Court fines Maha Al-Sagheer 10,000 EGP, cancels imprisonment in art theft case

The Cairo Economic Court ruled to accept the appeal submitted by Egyptian media personality Maha Al-Sagheer, ex-wife of actor Ahmed El-Sakka, against her one-month prison sentence in the case related to the theft of art pieces presented as her own creations.

Under the new ruling, the court canceled the prison sentence and only fined Maha Al-Sagheer 10,000 Egyptian pounds, bringing closure to the case that stirred wide debate in Egyptian artistic and media circles.

Previously, in July, the court had sentenced her to one month in prison and a 10,000 EGP fine after she appeared on an Egyptian program, claiming ownership of some international artworks.

Controversy and Criticism The episode sparked widespread criticism on social media, especially after several international artists denied her ownership of the pieces, including Danish artist Lisa Nelson, French artist Seti, and German artist Caroline Wendelin, confirming that the works belong to them.

The new ruling reflects the stance of the Egyptian judiciary in handling the case firmly, while considering the legal assessment of the penalty, making the financial fine a substitute for imprisonment in this incident.