JEDDAH — An Egyptian lawyer who was arrested for drug trafficking upon arrival at Jeddah airport in April denied the charges on Wednesday and claimed the prosecution evidence against him was fabricated. “Ahmed Al-Jeezawi represented himself... and denied all the charges against him of drug possession and smuggling," Sulaiman Al-Hunaini, a lawyer, told Reuters. The Egyptian and two of his alleged accomplices, a Saudi and another Egyptian, were produced before a three-judge panel headed by Bassam Al-Junadi at the Jeddah General Court. Al-Jeezawi was accused of trying to smuggle 21,380 capsules of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, which is banned in Saudi Arabia. Al-Jeezawi had arrived the Kingdom with his wife to perform Umrah when he was detained at King Abdulaziz International Airport. He was not wearing the seamless white Ihram clothes as expected of all arriving pilgrims, officials said at the time. In his second court appearance since the trial began in July, Al-Jeezawi denied any wrongdoing. “If the X-ray system of the customs has indeed caught me, how did I manage to get out and buy a mobile phone SIM card?" Al-Jeezawi said in court. He demanded that investigators provide the court with “a list of the calls made with that chip," the judicial source said. He also challenged further evidence provided by the prosecution. “The prosecution says I was caught at 5:30 in the morning, while in fact I was free till 1:30 P.M.," he said. The prosecution alleged that Al-Jeezawi had hidden the banned substance inside milk cartons and a Qur'an cover. But the Egyptian lawyer claimed that pictures showing him with two milk cartons and the Qur'an cover were fabricated. The case was adjourned until Sept. 26. The Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah has assigned a legal adviser to Jeezawi's case and he attended Wednesday's session. A couple of days before he was due to appear in court, Al-Jeezawi had complained of stomach ache but prison doctors who examined him decided he was fit to stand trial. He also quarreled with fellow prisoners in a perceived attempt to delay the hearing. — SG
