Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
The South Cairo Primary Civil Court issued a landmark ruling ordering the ride-hailing giant Uber to pay ten million Egyptian pounds in civil compensation to the family of the late Habiba El Shamaa. Presiding Judge Hany El Tantawy delivered the verdict after finding the international corporation civilly liable for the severe damages inflicted upon the victim’s household.
The comprehensive civil lawsuit was spearheaded by the family’s primary defense attorney, Mohamed El Amin, who argued under the strict legal principle of vicarious liability. El Amin successfully demonstrated that the parent company bore direct responsibility for the actions of its workers due to systemic corporate negligence regarding driver screening and safety monitoring.
The legal representative had initially launched a massive one hundred million Egyptian pound civil claim directly targeting Uber’s global headquarters located in San Francisco. The civil petition asserted that the digital transport firm allowed an unfit individual to operate on its network, which ultimately created the hazardous environment that led to the tragic outcome.
Official prosecution archives confirmed that the driver was actively operating his commercial vehicle while heavily under the influence of illegal narcotics. Forensic laboratory reports produced positive chemical results for cannabis consumption, while the defendant explicitly confessed to utilizing controlled substances before pick-ups.
The definitive financial penalty closely follows a decisive ruling from the Court of Cassation, which officially closed the high-profile criminal segment of the case. The highest national appellate body firmly rejected the driver’s legal appeal, cementing his final five-year prison sentence.
The final penal judgment was determined during a previous appellate session where the Cairo Criminal Court adjusted the driver’s original fifteen-year prison term. While the court acquitted the driver of the explicit felony charge of attempted kidnapping, it enforced the heavy five-year sentence for reckless driving under the influence and possession of illicit drugs.
The high-profile tragedy originally unfolded inside El Shamaa’s residential district when she hired the ride-hailing vehicle to commute toward her destination. During the commercial trip, the driver abruptly rolled up all the vehicle’s windows, inducing severe panic that forced the young woman to leap from the moving car to protect her safety.
The critical injuries sustained during the high-speed fall left the twenty-four-year-old victim comatose for several weeks before she ultimately succumbed to brain trauma. The immense public outcry surrounding the incident has forced national legislators to demand much tighter electronic background checks for private application drivers across Egypt.
