Domkete: November 2008

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Throw her off the balcony

Explosive details of text messages and telephone conversations between the two defendants in the Suzanne Tamim murder case have been published. The transcripts, obtained by Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram from a source at a telecoms company, contain damming evidence that the two men conspired to kill the Lebanese singer in Dubai.

Egyptian tycoon Hesham Talaat Moustafa, a member of parliament for the ruling National Democratic Party in Egypt, is charged with paying former policeman, Muhsen el-Sukkari, $2 million to stab Tamim to death at her Jumeirah Beach Residence apartment on July 28.

The transcripts show that the pair had several telephone conversations and exchanged text messages in the weeks leading up to Tamim’s murder. In one of the phone calls, made in May, el-Sukkari tells Moustafa that he has Tamim under surveillance in London and that two other men are watching her in Dubai.

“If they can, then let them do it,” Moustafa tells him.

“The best way is to throw her from a balcony just like what happened to Ashraf Marwan,” he added. Ashraf Marwan is an Egyptian businessman who was murdered in London in 2007 by being thrown from his balcony.

A text message sent later from el-Sukkari to Moustafa said: “To be safe, call me from different numbers. There is good news - the issue is nearly resolved.” In another message el-Sukkari appears to remind his alleged employer about his fee: “Boss, please don’t forget to send me the money,” it read.

Other calls have el-Sukkari and Moustafa discussing Tamim and how she had surprised them by moving to Dubai with her Iraqi Boxing champion boyfriend Riyadh Al-Azawi. The pair’s trial is ongoing in Egypt after both pleaded not guilty to murder and incitement charges at the first hearing on October 18. Court proceedings are due to resume next Saturday.

The prosecution claims that Moustafa’s motive for ordering the star’s slaughter was revenge - he is widely reported to have been a former lover of Tamim. The prosecution also contends that el-Sukkari killed Tamim, 30, after tricking her into opening the door of her luxury apartment by posing as a representative of the building owners. She was stabbed several times and her throat was cut.