After issuing the preliminary sentences, the court has sought the opinion of the country’s grand mufti on the cases.

Referral to the grand mufti is a necessary procedure before confirming a death sentence, according to Egyptian law, though the religious opinion of the mufti is non-binding.

The verdict is not be final and can be appealed.

The 12 men were charged with premeditated murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and assault resulting in death.

In February 2021, the victim was found dead and riddled with bullet wounds at a private farm he owned in the 6 October district in Giza.

The prosecution argued that four of the defendants asked the victim to hire them as private security or else pay them protection money, but the victim refused.

A quarrel broke out and the victim brandished his legally owned pistol, firing shots into the air, in order to scare the defendants off.

The defendants returned days later, according to the prosecution, following the victim back to the farm and killing him with a hail of gunfire.

The prosecution argued that the four men planned the crime with the help of eight others.

The prosecution’s case was built on the defendants’ statements, which the prosecution said included confessions, as well as CCTV footage.