CAIRO: The death sentence construction mogul Hisham Talaat Moustafa received in the murder case of Lebanese signer Suzanne Tamim was surprising for many Egyptians, who were quick to form their own theories about the verdict. The Cairo South Criminal Court issued its verdict Thursday on both Moustafa and former police officer Mohsen Al-Sukkari, who was also convicted and received the death penalty for carrying out the murder at the behest of Moustafa, who was romantically linked with the singer in the past. "There are many people who were shocked when they heard the verdict, Farouk Al-Dosouki, a journalist who was fined for violating a publishing ban on the case, told BBC. "There were many people who expected that Moustafa will be freed, Al-Dosouki said. Ahmed Mohamed, 70-year-old businessman, said that the verdict was fair. "We cannot accept that people kill other people and let them go regardless of how [prominent] those killers are, or how bad or unimportant the victims are, he said. A private-sector employee in her late 20s said, "Anyone who commits murder should eventually get killed. Her colleague however was skeptical. "There is a mysterious dimension to the verdict, she said. Without explaining whether she believed the verdict had political implications or not, she said that murder doesn't usually entail a death sentence. Due to a publishing ban instituted by the presiding judge Al-Mohammedi Qunsua on details of the case - court decisions like adjournment were the only exception - most people said they are not familiar with the crime and the investigation. "This banning order deprived some 80 million Egyptian citizens from following the case, Al-Dosouki said. Yet, with the little information available, some offered their view of what went inside the court. Azza, a 40-year-old housewife, said that she believes there is an undisclosed deal that involves top officials from the United Arab Emirates who were romantically involved with Tamim and Moustafa's competitors in Egypt to get rid of both Tamim and Moustafa. "Moustafa committed the crime, but there are people who helped and encouraged him to do it, she added. Azza cited a report she watched on Al-Arabia news channel a few weeks ago in which the defense team had presented "very important evidence that would have led to Moustafa's acquittal. "For example, the defense team presented photos that were taken at the compound when the murder happened and the person who went to Tamim's apartment was not of the same size or height of Al-Sukkari, she said. Azza believes that Moustafa was set up by one of his high profile competitors.
