Egyptian billionaire charged with Lebanese pop singer's murder

Melbourne, September 3 : An Egyptian tycoon has been charged with hiring a contract killer for Lebanese pop singer Suzanne Tamim's murder, reportedly his one-time lover.

Egyptian prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmud has revealed that Hisham Talaat Mustafa has been charged with paying two million dollars for brutally killing Tamim at her upmarket flat in Dubai in July.

Tamim, who rose to fame after winning a Lebanese talent show in 1996, was stabbed several times and her throat cut, allegedly by a retired policeman paid by Mustafa.

A judicial source has revealed that Mustafa, who runs the Talaat Mustafa Group real estate conglomerate worth several billion dollars and is close to President Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal, has been arrested and is being held pending trial.

Retired Egyptian policeman Mohsen al-Sukkari has also been arrested and charged with carrying out the murder.

The prosecutor has revealed that Sukkari confessed to Mustafa's involvement in the case after his arrest.

Mustafa and Sukkari may face the death penalty if convicted, reports the Daily Telegraph.

ANI