Cairo: Amid renewed media frenzy, the Court of Cassation will today start hearing an appeal from a leading Egyptian businessman against a death sentence in the murder of a Lebanese singer in Dubai.
Hesham Tala'at Mustafa, one of Egypt's top real-estate developers, was sentenced last June to death for involvement in the murder of Lebanese diva Suzan Tamim. Hesham, an ex-MP, had reportedly a failed love affair with Suzan.
The case, dubbed in the local press as the case of love and blood, has generated massive attention across the Arab world since it surfaced in the summer of 2008.
Prosecutors for the Court of Cassation, which is Egypt's highest judicial authority, have already accepted the appeal, a step that may result in the court ordering the re-trial of Hesham. He is convicted of ordering the slaying of Suzan in her luxury apartment in Dubai in July 2008.
The court will hear a similar appeal from Mohsin Al Sukkari, an ex-policeman, found guilty of killing Suzan upon orders from Hesham in return for $2 million (Dh7.34 million). Mohsin is also sentenced to death.
Flaws
Lawyers for the two convicts say that the ruling was flawed for being based, among other things, on the testimony made by Suzan's father during investigations in Dubai and Lebanon without citing evidence. They add that the court depended on a report submitted by an Egyptian policeman without providing enough evidence.
"These two reasons are among 31 reasons mentioned by the defence lawyers in the appeal memorandum," said Baha Abu Shoqa, a lawyer for Hesham in earlier remarks. "Each reason is enough to invalidate the death ruling."
"I hope the Court of Cassation will order a new trial because this will give the defence lawyers the chance to request new investigations and cross-examine witnesses." If the court turned down the appeal, the death verdict would be irreversible, according to judicial sources.
Expecting a massive media turnout, the Court of Cassation has said that only two reporters from each media will be allowed to attend the hearings after submitting endorsed letters of representation. "This measure is aimed at ensuring order and discipline inside the courtroom," said an official inside the court building, who asked, not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
