The 15-year sentence shakes Mira Al-Tufaili’s case... her fate between the UAE and Lebanon

The ruling issued against former Miss Lebanon runner-up Mira Al-Tufaili has reignited debate across social media, after platforms were flooded with news of her conviction and 15-year prison sentence in a case involving accusations of drug use and trafficking, human trafficking, facilitating prostitution, and blackmail.

According to MTV, the ruling included the possibility of deporting those convicted to their home countries, with the possibility of enforcing the sentences there in accordance with applicable agreements and laws, in addition to barring them from the Gulf Cooperation Council states, raising questions about whether Mira Al-Tufaili could be transferred to Lebanon to serve her sentence.

MTV quoted legal sources as saying that the general rule is that a convicted person serves their sentence in the country where the ruling was issued, unless there are bilateral agreements or clear legal arrangements allowing the enforcement of the sentence to be transferred to another country.

A legal source told MTV that transferring any convicted person to Lebanon does not happen automatically simply because they hold Lebanese nationality, but requires an effective legal framework and official approval between the two countries.

In the same context, another legal source pointed to the absence of any publicly announced judicial cooperation agreement between Lebanon and the UAE regarding the transfer of convicted persons in criminal cases and the enforcement of sentences on Lebanese territory, noting that the extradition of any person is subject to specific legal conditions and procedures.

Accordingly, the phrase "the possibility of enforcing the sentence in the home country" contained in the ruling is considered a general legal formulation and does not necessarily mean that Mira Al-Tufaili will be transferred to Lebanon, as the matter remains contingent on the existence of a legal basis or a special agreement between the competent authorities in the two countries.