An Egyptian court is expected to rule Thursday on an appeal by business tycoon Hesham Talaat Moustafa and an ex-policeman against a death sentence for murdering a Lebanese singer in Dubai in 2008. Judge Adel Abdel-Hamid, the chief judge of the Cassation Court, had delayed the ruling for a month on February 4 after lawyers for Moustafa and Mohssen el-Sukari took more than five hours in the defence of their clients. Customary heavy security is expected in the area surrounding the court in downtown Cairo as only members of the media with attendance permits from the court are allowed to attending the session. Moustafa, who was the chairman and chief executive officer of Talaat Moustafa Group Holding and a senior member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), was found guilty last year of paying el-Sukari 2 million dollars to kill an ex-girlfriend, the Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim. The murder and trial captivated the media in the Arab world, where politicians and the wealthy are generally perceived to be above the law. “I believe the appeal of the verdict will go through,” Kamal Younis, 60, a lawyer for Tamim's family, said Wednesday. “The defence is giving 40 reasons for the appeal. Still, I hope justice will be served.” At the time of his arrest, Moustafa was a member of the Upper House of Parliament.
