Red Sea General Prosecutor Sherif Tawfik allowed on Wednesday the honorary Italian consul in Hurghada and the lawyer of the Italian embassy to visit the Italian citizen accused of beating to death an Egyptian engineer in prison at Al-Qoseir police station, local media reported.
According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, the prosecution allowed them only to read the investigation and refused to let them take a copy of it. He also briefed the Italian consul, Alberto Barattini, on the updates of the case.
The Italian tourist was arrested on Saturday and accused of beating to death Egyptian engineer Tarek Al-Henawy in Marsa Alam in the Red Sea governorate, after Al-Henawy prevented him from swimming in an under-construction resort.
On Saturday, investigations will resume with the suspect.
Moreover, in contrast to what was posted on a Facebook account believed to belong to Al-Henawy on Friday confirming the death but denying it happened in a fight with the Italian tourist, the post was attributed to Hadeer, the daughter of the victim. Hadeer said in a phone call with TV station Al-Mehwar on Monday that workers at the resort in Marsa Alam told her that the Italian beat her father, who had a heart condition, which resulted in his death.
Hadeer added that her family accused the Italian tourist of killing her father.
According to article No. 1 of the law, which was issued by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in November 2014, the president of the state has the right to hand over foreign defendants to their countries in accordance with the high benefit of the state, after being interrogated by the prosecution, and after the agreement of the cabinet.
Lawyer Youssef Al-Metaany, who is interested in foreigner issues in Egypt, said that this article could be applied in the case of the Italian defendant.
Handing foreign defendants over to their countries does not depend on legal standards, but security and political decisions, and the relatives of the victim have the right to sue the Italian government and the Egyptian government, but such cases need the support of the public opinion, Al-Metaany explained.
Furthermore, the Italian government is to return its ambassador to Cairo more than a year after the Italian government recalled its previous ambassador, in light of the murder of one of its nationals in Egypt, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Italian minister of foreign affairs, Angelino Alfano.
