Egyptian actress Mona Zaki has addressed the ongoing legal dispute surrounding an apartment she previously owned in Mohandessin, after reports that enforcement proceedings had been initiated against funds held in several of her bank accounts.
Zaki’s lawyer, Saher Fasih, issued a statement on September 2 explaining her position in the case and disputing parts of the narrative that had circulated in the media.
The dispute centers on an apartment on Syria Street in Agouza, Giza, which Zaki purchased from a real estate company before later selling it to another buyer. A mortgage registered against the property before Zaki acquired it eventually became the central issue in the legal battle.
How Did Mona Zaki’s Apartment Dispute Begin?
According to the statement issued by her lawyer, Zaki purchased apartment No. 81 at 30 Syria Street through a registered final sale contract in 2013.
The property had been purchased from Modern Projects for Real Estate Investment.
Zaki’s legal team says the contract clearly disclosed an existing mortgage registered in 2004 in favor of the Egyptian Real Estate Bank.
However, the lawyer argues that the mortgage was registered against the company that sold Zaki the apartment and that the company itself was contractually responsible for settling the debt.
That distinction now forms an important part of Zaki’s legal position.
Mona Zaki Sold the Apartment in 2023
According to her lawyer’s latest statement, Zaki later sold the apartment to Mohi El-Din Mohamed on January 25, 2023.
Her legal team says the sale price took the existing mortgage and the unit’s share of that debt into consideration.
The statement further claims that Zaki was attempting to have the original real estate company settle its outstanding obligations with the bank so that the mortgage could eventually be removed from the property.
According to Zaki’s defense, this process and the existence of the mortgage were addressed in the contract with the buyer.
Buyer Paid the Mortgage and Later Went to Court
The dispute escalated after the buyer paid the amount required to release the apartment from the mortgage.
Zaki’s lawyer says this was done without first returning to her and while negotiations were reportedly taking place with the parties responsible for the original debt.
The buyer subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking to recover from Zaki the money he had paid to clear the mortgage.
Zaki’s legal team disputes that she was personally responsible for this payment, arguing that the contractual obligation belonged to the company that originally sold her the property.
That disagreement eventually moved from negotiations into the courts.
Court Ordered Mona Zaki to Pay EGP 3.63 Million
The case was registered as Case No. 1204 of 2025 before the North Giza Court of First Instance.
According to the statement from Zaki’s lawyer, the court issued a judgment ordering the actress to pay EGP 3.63 million, while rejecting claims for compensation and interest presented in the original case.
Zaki challenged the ruling, but the appeal was rejected and the original judgment upheld.
Her lawyers have since filed a further appeal before Egypt’s Court of Cassation, registered under Case No. 4865 of Judicial Year 96.
As of the September 2 statement, a hearing on the merits of that cassation appeal had not yet been scheduled.
Reports Say Enforcement Reached Mona Zaki’s Bank Accounts
The case returned to the headlines after reports emerged that the buyer had begun procedures to enforce the judgment.
According to reports citing case documents, notices were sent to three banks seeking to secure funds belonging to Zaki up to the amount required to satisfy the judgment.
The reported measures covered accounts, deposits and other financial assets held at those institutions. Some reports put the amount being pursued through the enforcement process at approximately EGP 3.775 million.
It is important to distinguish those enforcement proceedings from a final resolution of Zaki’s continuing cassation challenge.
Her legal team maintains that its appeal before the Court of Cassation remains pending.
Mona Zaki’s Lawyer Responds to Reports About the Case
Fasih issued the detailed statement after the dispute and reports concerning Zaki’s finances began receiving renewed attention online.
The lawyer argued that some coverage had presented the situation in a way that was damaging to the actress without fully explaining the contractual history surrounding the apartment and mortgage.
At the same time, the statement stressed that Zaki respects Egyptian court judgments and will comply with decisions issued by the judiciary.
Her defense nevertheless continues to argue that the responsibility for the original mortgage belonged to the real estate company rather than Zaki personally.
Why Was There Already a Mortgage on the Apartment?
The mortgage at the center of the case predates Zaki’s ownership.
Her lawyer says it was registered in 2004, approximately nine years before she purchased the apartment.
The registered sale contract through which Zaki acquired the property reportedly acknowledged the mortgage and stated that the selling company was responsible for paying it.
Years later, when Zaki sold the unit, the unresolved mortgage became important because it continued to affect the property.
The legal disagreement is therefore not over whether a mortgage existed, but rather who was ultimately responsible for paying the amount required to release the apartment from it.
The Case Remains Before the Court of Cassation
Despite the recent enforcement proceedings, the legal process has not completely ended.
Zaki’s defense has filed a cassation appeal challenging the ruling, and according to the lawyer’s September 2 statement, the case is still awaiting a substantive hearing before the Court of Cassation.
That means the latest statement should not be interpreted as a new court ruling in Zaki’s favor or against her.
Instead, it represents her legal team’s explanation of events and its argument regarding responsibility for the mortgage.
Mona Zaki Seeks to Clarify Her Position
The renewed attention surrounding the case prompted Zaki’s team to publicly lay out a timeline stretching from the apartment’s purchase in 2013 to its later sale and the subsequent lawsuit.
At the heart of the dispute are two competing positions: the buyer obtained a judgment requiring Zaki to reimburse the money paid in connection with the mortgage, while Zaki’s defense maintains that the underlying mortgage obligation originally belonged to the real estate company.
For now, the existing judgment has led to enforcement proceedings, while Mona Zaki’s cassation appeal remains pending.
Until the Court of Cassation considers the case, the long-running dispute surrounding the Mohandessin apartment is not yet completely closed.
