An Egyptian man convicted of killing Lebanese pop star Suzanne Tamim in Dubai has been released from prison after serving 14 years, his defence lawyer said.
Mohsen Al Sukkari was sentenced to life in prison in 2009 after he was found guilty of Tamim’s murder. The killing was at the behest of Egyptian real estate tycoon Hisham Taalat Moustafa, whom the pop star was reportedly in a relationship with.
After receiving the death sentence, the former state security official received a presidential pardon, his lawyer said. He was meant to be released in 2020, but he was sentenced to three additional years at the time in a separate money-laundering case.
Following appeals, the three-year sentence was cut in half, a duration that ended this month.
Moustafa, a former parliamentarian and close ally of the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak, was arrested in 2008. He was sentenced to death by hanging in 2009 for ordering Al Sukkari to murder Tamim in exchange for $2 million.
Evidence reviewed by the court at the time included extensive recordings of conversations between Moustafa and Al Sukkari. There was security footage from Tamim’s apartment in Dubai and DNA was found on the bloodied clothes Mr Al Sukkari, who was accused of disposing of the evidence near the scene of the crime.
However, in 2010 following a successful appeal against the death sentence, Moustafa and Al Sukkari received a retrial. This was reportedly approved over legal technicalities which the pair’s defence team used to discredit the first ruling.
Following the retrial, Moustafa was sentenced to 15 years in prison, of which he served nine and was released in 2017 after receiving a presidential pardon.
Although the murder took place at a Dubai apartment that Tamim was staying at, the trials took place in Egypt as the country does not allow extradition of its citizens for trials elsewhere.
Despite his imprisonment, Moustafa’s real estate company, Talaat Moustafa Group, continued to be one of the largest and wealthiest in Egypt.
In 2021, the company announced its largest development to date, Egypt's first green-smart city, Noor, close to Egypt’s New Administrative Capital.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
RESULTS
Tottenham 1
Jan Vertonghen 13'
Norwich 1
Josip Drmic 78'
2-3 on penalties
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Rating: 1/5
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)
The%20specs
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Kill%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nikhil%20Nagesh%20Bhat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Lakshya%2C%20Tanya%20Maniktala%2C%20Ashish%20Vidyarthi%2C%20Harsh%20Chhaya%2C%20Raghav%20Juyal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
