Region | Egypt
Tamim murder suspect - 'an epitome of an era'
Around 37 years ago, Tala'at Mustafa, an Egyptian who worked for more than a decade in Kuwait, decided to return home.
- By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent
- Published: 00:55 October 21, 2008
- Hesham Talaat Mustafa seen by close friends as an ambitious businessman, soon made friends with several Arab business moguls.
- Image Credit: EPA
Cairo: Around 37 years ago, Tala'at Mustafa, an Egyptian who worked for more than a decade in Kuwait, decided to return home.
His return coincided with the open-door economic policy initiated by the then Egyptian president Anwar Al Sadat.
Mustafa invested his savings in a construction company, which undertook building projects launched by the Egyptian government nationwide in the wake of the 1973 Middle East War against Israel.
With the expansion of his business, Mustafa chose his youngest son Hesham, a commerce college student, to help run the company.
Soon, the son lived up to his father's expectations, becoming responsible for Al Rahab, a luxury housing project built on the outskirts of Cairo. Al Rahab catapulted the company to fame among local construction contractors.
Conglomerate
After the father died, Hesham, the youngest of four children, became the chairman of the company, which by now grew into a business conglomerate.
With Hesham at the helm, the Tala'at Mustafa Group expanded its business in the 1990s into other fields including tourism, manufacture of building materials, investment and agriculture.
Hesham, seen by close friends as an ambitious businessman, soon made friends with several Arab business moguls.
In partnership with other Arab conglomerates, the Tala'at Mustafa Holding Group launched massive schemes in Egypt including the plush Four Seasons Hotel chain and Madinati, a luxury housing scheme being constructed on 33 square kilometres outside Cairo.
The group has, moreover, launched property developments in the Saudi cities of Jeddah and Riyadh.
Having become one of Egypt's top real estate developers, Hesham joined President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party and two years ago won a seat in the Upper House of the Egyptian Parliament. He became a senior politician in the ruling party and a main financier of its activities.
His business and political career, however, suffered a huge blow last August when news reports claimed he was involved in the murder of Suzanne Tamim, a Lebanese singer found dead in her luxury apartment in Dubai on July 28.
Alleged affair
His excessive appearances on official TV to whitewash his image apparently went nowhere as Egypt's chief prosecutor on September 2 charged him with inciting the slaying of Tamim.
Mohsen Al Sukkari, an ex-policeman, said Hesham had ordered him to kill Tamim for Dh7.34 million ($2 million). Hesham, who had an alleged affair with Tamim, has pleaded innocent.
"I provided all proofs to substantiate my innocence. I put my trust in God," Hesham, 49, told the first hearing of his trial in Cairo on October 18. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
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