Tycoon to be sent to the gallows in Suzan Tamim murder

Cairo: A Cairo court on Thursday upheld a death sentence against an Egyptian business tycoon convicted of ordering the murder of Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim in Dubai last year, but defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdict at the Court of Cassation, Egypt's highest court.

Read in-depth on Suzan Tamim murder trial

The Criminal Court said that the Grand Mufti (Egypt's top Muslim authority) has ratified the death sentences it passed on May 25 against Hesham Talaat Moustafa, one of Egypt's top real estate developers, and Mohssen Al Sukkari, an ex-policeman, for killing Suzan.

Death rulings are usually referred to the Mufti in this predominantly Muslim country to ensure they are valid under the Sharia (Islamic law).

The presiding judge Al Mohammadi Qensou said that Hesham, an ex-MP, was found guilty of inciting Al Sukkari to kill Suzan in return for $2 million. He pronounced the ruling as massive police troops encircled the courthouse in southern court.

The body of Suzan, who was catapulted to fame in a music contest in mid-1990s, was found in a luxury apartment in Dubai in July 2008. Hesham, a senior politician in President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party, was arrested last August on charges of ordering the slaying of Suzan with whom he allegedly had an affair.

His trial, which started on October 18, 2008, riveted attention across the Arab world. The court cross-examined tens of witnesses from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in the case, which the local media labeled as the trial of wealth and power.

In November, the court ordered a media gag on reporting about the case, citing attempts to influence public opinion. Five Egyptian journalists from two opposition newspapers are on trial for violating this ban.