Egyptian magnate pleads not guilty to singer's murder

By Mahmoud Ali

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian construction magnate Hesham Talaat Moustafa and a former police officer pleaded not guilty to murder and incitement charges Saturday at their trial for the killing of Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim.

Moustafa, a member of parliament for the ruling National Democratic Party, is charged with paying security man Muhsen el-Sukkari $2 million for stabbing Tamim to death at her house in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on July 28.

The charge sheet said that Moustafa's motive was revenge but it did not explain their relationship in detail.

In response to the charges, Moustafa told a packed courtroom in central Cairo: "It did not happen and I have presented all the evidence that I am not guilty."

"God is enough for me and an excellent guardian," he added, citing a Muslim invocation common in times of distress.

"It did not happen," said Sukkari. "By Almighty God my blood is innocent of her."

The two defendants appeared in metal cages in the courtroom, in line with normal Egyptian practice. Hundreds of policemen protected the streets around the building in case of trouble.

The arrest of Moustafa in September, after weeks of speculation about the case, hit the value of shares in Talaat Moustafa Group, the real estate development company which Moustafa's late father created and which Moustafa chaired.