JEDDAH — A verdict in the trial of Egyptian lawyer Ahmed Al-Jizawi and two other men accused of smuggling drugs into the Kingdom is set to be announced on Wednesday. In a hearing at the Jeddah General Court that lasted only 10 minutes, presiding judge Sheikh Bassam Al-Nijaidi said a verdict would be reached either in the court's next hearing or the one after. The trio was accused of smuggling into the Kingdom prohibited pills. The other two defendants are Egyptian and Saudi. Al-Jizawi arrived at the court wearing a brown shirt and grey trousers while the other Egyptian was wearing black trousers and a white shirt. The Saudi wore a thobe and headdress without the black band (iqal) holding it in place. The prison guards did not unchain them. A three-judge panel chaired by Al-Nijaidi is considering the case. At the start of the session, the judge asked the prosecution if he had any comments on what the three defendants had said in the court during the last session, but he declined to comment further. He also told the three defendants that if they had nothing new to say during Wednesday's hearing, he would announce the verdict or postpone it to the next session.
