Egyptian court acquits Jewish leader of fraud

Jewish community president Carmen Weinstein exonerated of embezzlement after losing trial which sentenced her to 3 years.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
Carmen Weinstein 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Carmen Weinstein 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Carmen Weinstein, the president of the Egyptian Jewish community, was acquitted last week of fraud and embezzlement of 3 million Egyptian pounds ($450,000) by the Abdeen Court of Misdemeanors.
She won the appeal last Monday after first losing her trial in the Heliopolis Court of Misdemeanors, which sentenced her to three years in jail in absentia, reported the Egyptian Independent.
The Egyptian Jewish publication the Bassatine News, explains that the story began in 2010, when Egyptian businessman Nabil Badie Bishay accused Weinstein of stealing three million Egyptian pounds after he had already paid the money for a Jewish community property.
Bishay claimed Weinstein “had treacherously withdrawn her power of attorney in his favor, precluding him to complete the paperwork for the title transfer.”
In a case that attracted international media attention, Weinstein filed a countersuit claiming the accusation was baseless and just another attempt of someone trying to steal Jewish community property.
According to the Bassatine News, the Jewish community in Cairo is very small and consists mostly of elderly women.
Weinstein told the publication she tells people there are around 50 members of the community, but she thinks it is actually higher since some have assimilated, marrying Christians or Muslims, and others are not religious and stay away from Jewish communal life.