Ezz denied being married to Zeina and accused the actress of forging her sons' birth certificates, denying that he is their father
Nasr City misdemeanor court sentenced Saturday Egyptian actor Ahmed Ezz in absentia to three years in prison and levied a fine of EGP 15,000 on charges of libel and slander against actress Zeina.
The verdict can be appealed if Ezz turns himself in to authorities.
The highly publicised row between Ezz and Zeina dates back to 2014 when the actress filed legal complaints against Ezz to force him to admit to fathering her two sons.
Zeina had accused Ezz of defaming her by denying a marriage took place and accusing the actress of forging her sons' birth certificates.
The case was thrust into the limelight after the 38-year-old actress returned from the United States to Egypt in January 2014 with twin boys, Ezzeddine and Zineddine, saying they were the sons of the Egyptian actor.
After Ezz denied Zeina's assertions, the actress filed a lawsuit in May 2014 saying the pair wedded in June 2012 through a customary marriage, which in Egypt requires only signatures of two witnesses to a contract signed by the spouses.
Ezz, 43, has consistently denied the marriage took place and in turn refused to admit to fathering the US-born boys. He has also repeatedly declined to undergo DNA tests mandated by the court.
In June 2015, a Cairo family court ruled in favour of Egyptian actress Zeina, ruling that Ezz was the biological father of the 20-month-old twins.
The case is not the first to put Ezz in the hot seat over romantic mishaps.
In 2014, local media published a copy of an alleged marriage contract between Ezz and leading Egyptian songstress Angham, dating back to 2011.
Ezz said the marriage was kept a secret from the public due to family problems the singer was facing at the time.
Angham said she had the right to keep her private life away from public eyes, saying her family and friends were informed of the marriage, which reportedly lasted for a few months.
