CAIRO: An Egyptian real estate tycoon convicted of hiring a hit man to kill a Lebanese pop singer has appealed the verdict.
Hisham Talaat Moustafa was initially sentenced to death in the slaying of the singer, who was his ex-girlfriend. His sentence was commuted to 15 years in prison in September after a retrial.
Egypt’s national news agency reported Sunday that his lawyers are now seeking to have him cleared on appeal.
He was found guilty of paying a retired Egyptian police officer $2 million to kill 30-year-old Suzanne Tamim in Dubai in July 2008.
Moustafa is also a prominent member of Egypt’s ruling party. His trial shocked Egyptians unused to seeing influential figures taken to court. The reduced sentence, however, has prompted accusations of political influence.
