A Cairo appeals court has ordered Egypt's interior ministry to pay LE1 million to an Egyptian actress in compensation for torturing her into falsely confessing to the murder of her Qatari husband.

The amount is considered the largest compensation ever paid out by the ministry to a victim of torture.

In 1999, actress Habiba Mohamed Saeed was accused of killing her Qatari husband in Cairo. She was subsequently tortured by police officers investigating the case, who hoped to extract a confession from her.

The actress says she was tortured and sexually abused for eight days until she confessed – falsely – to committing the crime.

In late 1999, a Giza criminal court found Habiba guilty and slapped her with a ten-year jail sentence. After serving five years in prison, police arrested the real murderers.

Despite the capture of the true culprits, the actress spent another three years behind bars, until she was eventually vindicated in a retrial in which new evidence was produced proving her innocence.

Mohamed Zaraa, Habiba’s lawyer, told reporters on Tuesday that the LE1 million compensation package was for the "torture and mistreatment" his client had endured and for the damage done to her reputation.

"Habiba’s career as an actress was destroyed by the false accusation, which led to her unfair imprisonment and the torture she suffered," the lawyer stated.