Egyptian tycoon on retrial for murder
Source: Agencies |
April 27, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
EGYPTIAN property tycoon Hesham Talaat Moustafa began his retrial yesterday, fighting charges of orchestrating the brutal murder of a Lebanese pop singer.
Moustafa, a member of parliament in Egypt's ruling party and former chairman of the Talaat Moustafa Group, was granted a retrial in March. He was sentenced last year to hang along with Muhsen el-Sukkari, the security man whom the tycoon is charged with paying to stab Suzanne Tamim to death in Dubai.
Convicting an influential member of Egypt's business elite caused ripples across the Arab world and came as a surprise to many in Egypt, where such people are often regarded as above the law.
Sukkari and Moustafa, who was arrested just months after Tamim's murder in July 2008, attended the session.
"It didn't happen. None of that happened, sir," Moustafa said from inside a cage where both defendants were held for the hearing in court.
"I swear by God the Great that I didn't commit any of that," Sukkari said in response to the judge.
Media described the murder as an act of revenge after Tamim ended an extramarital affair with Moustafa, born in 1959. If found guilty, Moustafa and Sukkari will be allowed to appeal the new ruling and could face a third and final trial if that appeal is accepted.
Moustafa, a member of parliament in Egypt's ruling party and former chairman of the Talaat Moustafa Group, was granted a retrial in March. He was sentenced last year to hang along with Muhsen el-Sukkari, the security man whom the tycoon is charged with paying to stab Suzanne Tamim to death in Dubai.
Convicting an influential member of Egypt's business elite caused ripples across the Arab world and came as a surprise to many in Egypt, where such people are often regarded as above the law.
Sukkari and Moustafa, who was arrested just months after Tamim's murder in July 2008, attended the session.
"It didn't happen. None of that happened, sir," Moustafa said from inside a cage where both defendants were held for the hearing in court.
"I swear by God the Great that I didn't commit any of that," Sukkari said in response to the judge.
Media described the murder as an act of revenge after Tamim ended an extramarital affair with Moustafa, born in 1959. If found guilty, Moustafa and Sukkari will be allowed to appeal the new ruling and could face a third and final trial if that appeal is accepted.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
