An Egyptian prosecution ordered on Saturday the referral of Haitham Kamel Abou Ali to the criminal court over vehicular manslaughter charges after causing the death of a woman in Hurghada while driving his vehicle in an incident that has caused an online uproar lately.

The defendant is accused of wrongfully causing – due to his gross negligence and lack of compliance to the law – the death of Mai Eskander while driving his car under the influence of intoxicants and drugs. 

According to a statement released by Egypt's Red Sea prosecution, the official charges levelled up against the defendants as theywere in the possession of cannabis with the intention of consuming it, wrongfully causing  the death of Mai Eskander while driving his car.

The defendant, who has been detained, is also accused of deliberately driving against traffic using a vehicle in unsafe conditions, the statement added.

The prosecution based its evidence upon testimonies from five eyewitnesses and the prosecution's inspection of the incident site as well as the defendant’s acknowledgment during the investigations that he used narcotic and alcoholic substances prior to the accident.

The defendant's claim was supported by a report issued from the narcotic substances analysis department at the health affairs directorate in the Hurghada governorate and another report issued from Hurghada general hospital.

Users of social media were extremely vexed by the incidents, posting a torrent of solidarity messages with the victim and asking for holding of the perpetrator accountable, who is the son of an Egyptian business tycoon hailing from an affluent family.