An imam in Egypt faces a disciplinary hearing over accusations that he married off underage girls, the country’s administrative prosecution authority said Monday.

Egyptian law prohibits the registered marriage of men and women under 18, although it does not prohibit informal marriages that are not officially registered. “The crime comes under the category of human trafficking cases,” said Mohamed Samir, spokesman for the authority.

The imam was allegedly “implicated in the marriages of nearly 27 minor” females, Samir said.

The cleric presided over El-Arbaeen mosque in Meet Habeeb village in the Nile delta province of Al-Gharbiya north of Cairo.

News of the case comes after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed shock at the number of minors being married, highlighted in official figures released on Saturday.

“I was surprised that the number of married 12-year-olds was not small,” Sisi said.

“This is something that pains me and pains anyone with a real conscience who cares for their sons and daughters.”