Two Men Plead Not Guilty To Suzan Tamim Murder

The man accused of ordering the murder of singer Suzan Tamim has pleaded not guilty in a court in Cairo.

Hisham Talaat Moustafa, a powerful real estate owner who once dated the singer, was dressed in white as he stood in the defendants’ cage.

Fellow defendant Mohsen el-Sukkary, who is accused of carrying out the murder on behalf of Moustafa, also pleaded not guilty.

Tamim’s body was discovered last July in her Dubai home with multiple stab wounds and a mutilated face.

The prosecution claims Sukkary had earlier confessed to the killing on behalf of the business mogul. Both men were separated in the defendants’ cage by a partition.

Tamim shot to fame after winning a talent show in her home country in 1996 and was widely praised for having the ability to sing both pop and traditional Arabic songs.

But her life became shrouded in mystery, with much debate centred on her relationship with her estranged second husband, Adel Maatouk.

It's understood that she left Cairo in 2007 to move to the exclusive Jumeira district in Dubai.

You can read what Gigwise readers have said about the singer's death, and leave your own comments, here.