Arrests in Egypt after people impersonate judges

Egypt’s Ministry of Interior has arrested two men who allegedly posed as judges through a fake court or social‑media scheme, swindling citizens out of money.

The suspects, an unemployed man and a student from Cairo and Giza, admitted forming a criminal gang that claimed to secure housing assignments from government agencies. They staged fake court scenes, filmed inside a courthouse wearing a judicial sash, and used the footage to boost their credibility on social media.

During the arrest, police seized a firearm, a judicial sash, and identity cards bearing the man’s fake judicial title, according to the ministry. The man also confessed to filming and publishing images and videos of the staged courtroom scenes.

The second suspect admitted to helping produce and share the footage while claiming on social media to be a judge. Court employees were also detained and questioned, as they said the men had mentioned they worked for an Egyptian judicial authority.

State-owned newspaper al‑Ahram reported that the suspects were referred for an expedited criminal trial. The investigation began after a citizen reported that a man pretending to be a judge had defrauded him. The Ministry of Interior’s actions aim to curb this growing trend of impersonation and fraud within the judicial system.