Egyptian court ‘clears name’ of billionaire Hisham Talaat over pop star Suzanne Tamim murder

An Egyptian court has agreed to clear the name of Hisham Talaat Mustafa, an influential real estate tycoon who was found guilty of ordering the killing of his former lover, Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim, in 2008.

Billionaire Mustafa requested for his name to be “cleared” six years after he was granted a pardon over the killing by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2017.

Under article 536 of the Egyptian Criminal Procedure Code, anyone sentenced for a felony or misdemeanour can apply for a name-clearing, according to Egyptian state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram.

The name-clearing restores civic and political rights and allows the sentenced person to take up government positions and run in parliamentary elections

In 2009, Mustafa was sentenced to death for paying former Egyptian police officer Mohsen Al-Sukkary $2 million to stab Tamim to death in her Dubai apartment, but after a retrial in 2010 he was instead given a 15 year jail sentence.

The case shocked Egypt and the Arab world and grew to symbolise the unchecked abuse of power which political and business elites in the region often practice.

Al-Sukkary was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 but was pardoned by Sisi in 2020 after serving 10 years.

Mustafa, who comes from an influential and wealthy family, was an influential member of Egypt’s formerly ruling National Democratic Party and was close to Gamal Mubarak, the son of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who was overthrown by popular protests in 2011.

He has regained influence as a business tycoon after being released from prison and was named by Forbes Middle East as one of the region’s Top 100 Travel and Tourism Leaders.

His former lover and victim Suzanne Tamim became famous in the 1990s after winning a pan-Arab talent show.

Mustafa murdered her after she refused his marriage proposal – partly because he was already married – and began a relationship with an Iraqi kickboxing champion.