In a five-minute session, Cairo Criminal Court on Thursday upheld a death sentence against an Egyptian tycoon and an ex-cop hitman for the murder of a Lebanese pop star. Judge Mohammedi Qunsua confirmed sentences of death by hanging, for Hisham Talaat Mustafa and retired policeman Mohsen el-Sukkari in regards to respectively ordering and carrying out the killing of Suzanne Tamim. The court also sentenced el-Sukary to ten years in prison on charges of possessing firearms and ammunition. It accepted a lawsuit filed by Tamim's family, rejected lawsuits by four lawyers, and proved that another lawyer dropped his lawsuit.
There were strict security measures in the session. Some 5,000 officers and soldiers, tens of armored vehicles, snipers, and police dogs secured the court. The roads leading to the court turned into barracks.
Maj. Gen. Ismail el-Shaer, First Deputy Minister for Cairo security sector, said intense security measures were taken because the case included very important persons. Since the court issued a decision referring the death sentence to Egypt's grand mufti – the country's highest religious official –, the judges, the places they frequently visited, and Sadat courtroom have been protected by Special Forces. The university professor and the three Americans, who have recently come from the United States, obtained permission from the court's chief justice to attend the session.
Security measures have been tightened since 4 am. Three electronic doors were used to inspect the attendees. Real estate mogul Talaat Moustafa arrived to the courtroom at 7:15 am amid tight security measures. Wearing a stylish white suit, Mustafa appeared strong in front of the photographers' cameras. El-Sukary, who arrived ten minutes before Mustafa, was accompanied by two guards who remained with him until the sentence was said. He read the Koran for some 30 minutes.
Judge Qunsua arrived at 8:30 am amid tight security measures. The session started at 9:08 am. Two minutes later, Qunsua read the sentence, which was unanimously issued. After hearing the sentence, the two defendants were stricken with grief and left the courtroom quickly. A patrol wagon took them to Tora Prison to wear the red suit in the first night after the verdict. Mustafa's family refused to comment, but el-Sukary's father said the verdict was expected so that the "scenario" would be completed, as he put it. He confirmed that he would appeal the conviction and provide new evidence that would change the course of the trial. Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Bahaa Abu Shaqa, a lawyer, said several legal procedures could be taken to appeal the death sentence. The defendants themselves or their lawyers have the right to appeal the sentence before the public prosecution within 60 days after the sentence. They have to file a memo of the reasons of the appeal. In case of any death sentence, the prosecution has to submit a memo to illustrate its point of view.
The appeal could be accepted if one of five measures was illegal, namely the reasons of the sentence, testimony, evidence, accusations, and the application of the law, he added.
