The Court of Cassation yesterday accepted an appeal lodged by lawyers for business tycoon Talaat Mustafa and former state security officer Mohsen el-Sokkari. The two men, who had earlier received death sentences for their alleged roles in the 2008 murder of Lebanese pop star Suzanne Tamim, are scheduled for retrial before Cairo’s Criminal Court.
The Court of Cassation is expected to refer the case to Cairo’s Court of Appeals, which will then announce a date for retrial.
Mustafa’s relatives and supporters were jubilant as the court delivered its verdict. Mustafa’s lawyer, Farid el-Deeb, called his client in prison to inform him of the ruling.
Central Security personnel had been deployed outside the court at the break of dawn. At 8:00 AM, the courtroom filled with lawyers, civil prosecutors, the defendants’ relatives–including El-Sokkari’s father–and media correspondents for dozens of satellite television channels, along with scores of Egyptian and foreign reporters.
El-Deeb was the only member of Mustafa’s defense team present. Sitting on the front bench, he occasionally called his client to keep him apprised of events.
At 9:00 AM, 11 judges–headed by Court of Cassation President Adel Abdel Hamid–entered the chamber, where they dealt with other lawsuits for almost four hours before broaching the highly-anticipated case.
After adjourning briefly to the consultation room, the judges returned to pronounce their decision.
One officer, speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm on condition of anonymity, said he saw Moustafa jump for joy when the verdict was read.
Mustafa’s supporters, many of them from his hometown of Alexandria, congregated outside the chamber afterward to congratulate the defendant and sing his praises.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
