Egyptian tycoon sentenced to 15 years for ordering murder of Lebanese pop singer

In a peculiar trial where the verdict was given before all witnesses gave their testimonies, an Egyptian tycoon and lawmaker on Tuesday was sentenced to 15 years in prison for ordering the murder of a Lebanese pop singer in 2008, local media reported.

According to the Daily News Egypt, judge Adel Abdel-Salam Gomaa convicted and sentenced business magnate Hisham Talaat Moustafa after only some of the witnesses had testified. In addition, lawyers had not made their pleas before Gomaa's decision.

Moustafa was convicted for paying $2 million to former police officer Mohsen Al-Sukkari to carry out the murder of Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim. Al-Sukkari was also convicted on Tuesday and was sentenced to life in prison.

On July 28, 2008, the body of Tamim was discovered in her apartment in Dubai. She was found to have been stabbed several times and had her throat slit by Al-Sukkari. Moustafa, who ordered the murder, was a former lover of the singer and had threatened her several times before.

The Egyptian businessman even offered Tamim $50 million to leave her husband and marry him or instead he would hire someone to kill her. At the time of the murder, Iraqi-born British kickboxing champion Riyadh Al-Azzawi was married to Tamim and was aware of the threats, but said police did not take them seriously.

Moustafa, the billionaire and former MP and chairman of the construction giant Talaat Moustafa Group, was arrested in September 2008 after his parliamentary immunity was lifted. He was also a member of the policies secretariat of the National Democratic Party (NDP).

Al-Sukkari and Moustafa were found guilty of the singer's murder in May 2009. Both men were sentences to death by hanging. However, a higher cassation court overturned the death verdict, ordering a retrial in March 2010 due to legal errors in the first trial.

After the latest sentence, some believe that the light sentence imposed on Mustafa is likely to fuel public perceptions that the elite are above the law in Egypt. Prosecutors will have a final chance to contest the verdicts before a higher cassation court in the next 60 days. The justifications of the verdicts are usually released within 30 days.

Source: Bnonews.com