Egyptian Tycoon Sentenced to Hang in Death of Singer

CAIRO, May 21 -- Suzanne Tamim shot to fame in an "American Idol"-style TV show, a green-eyed Lebanese beauty whose pop songs about love's agony mirrored her troubled life. Now, the man reported to be her secret lover -- a married, politically powerful Egyptian tycoon -- has been sentenced to hang for paying a former government security agent $2 million to slit her throat.

Billionaire Hisham Talaat Moustafa showed no emotion Thursday as he was convicted and sentenced for ordering the killing of Tamim -- the latest chapter in a tale of sex, power, money and murder that was closely followed throughout the Middle East.

Many had wondered whether the 50-year-old real estate mogul, an influential member of the ruling party with ties to President Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal, would get away with murder in a region where the rich are often thought to be above the law.

The courtroom erupted in chaos after the conviction of Moustafa and the former security officer, Mohsen el-Sukkary, who also faces the gallows. Moustafa's sister fainted, and his two daughters burst into tears.

Tamim rose to stardom after appearing on an Arab talent show in 1996, appealing to Middle Eastern audiences with her sultry dancing, cascading chestnut hair and melodramatic crooning. She soon fell upon troubled times, separating from her Lebanese husband-manager.

Tamim and Moustafa met in the summer of 2004 at a Red Sea resort, according to transcripts of Moustafa's interrogation. Moustafa said he wanted to marry her in 2006 but then retreated, and they broke up. Tamim left Egypt and hooked up with a kickboxer.

Moustafa, apparently angry over having been jilted, turned to Sukkary, who worked at his Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo. The prosecutor said the tycoon helped arrange visas and tickets for Sukkary as he trailed the singer first to London, then to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

Transcripts of alleged phone conversations kept by Sukkary and seized by police have Moustafa telling him, "The agreed amount is ready," and, "Tomorrow, she is in London and you should act." In a later tape, Sukkary explains that he missed his chance in London and "will wait to move it to Dubai." Moustafa chides him and then says, "Okay, let's finish with this."

According to Dubai investigators, Sukkary followed Tamim last July 28 to her apartment in the swanky Dubai Marina complex and attacked her repeatedly with a knife.