Egyptian wrestler faces heavy punishment after Paris Olympics sexual assault allegation
French authorities said Egyptian wrestler Mohamed El-Sayed had been in police custody since Friday morning after an investigation was opened into suspicions of sexual assault on a woman.
According to the French newspaper “Le Parisien”, the Egyptian wrestler put his hand on a woman’s buttocks while leaving the “Oz” bar, where he spent a long part of his evening in the 13th arrondissement of the French capital, around 4:30 p.m. on Friday morning.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has entrusted the investigation to the third district of the judicial police.
The newspaper said the wrestler was in a state of advanced intoxication when he was arrested by police, who opened an investigation into suspicions of sexual assault, without providing further details on the incident.
Once the investigation is completed and if he is charged, the Egyptian wrestler risks a prison sentence and a fine, as French law is strict against sexual assault.
The French Penal Code defines sexual assault as any act involving physical contact with the victim that has a sexual connotation (touching, caresses, etc.). Assault also presupposes a coercive act, that is, the victim did not consent to the act.
The perpetrator of a sexual assault risks a sentence of up to 5 years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros, which can be more severe depending on the details of the facts.
French prosecutors have not revealed details of what the Egyptian wrestler is accused of, and if he is accused of sexual harassment rather than assault, the punishment could be different under a law enacted in 2012.
If it is sexual harassment rather than sexual assault, the sentence could be up to two years and a fine of 30,000 euros.
In the Egyptian Olympic Committee’s first action after the incident, it said in a statement that it… “Kisho will be referred to the Organs and Ethics Committee for investigation.”
He concluded that the player will be punished if his violation is proven. “You risk permanent disqualification and exclusion from the game at local and international level.”
