Cairo - An Egyptian billionaire businessman and a security guard pleaded not guilty on Saturday to the murder of Lebanese popstar Suzanne Tamim, as prosecution proceedings against them began in Cairo. Hisham Talaat Moustafa, one of Egypt's largest property tycoons, is accused of paying Mohsen al-Sokary, a former police officer and employee of Moustafa, two million dollars to murder Tamim in her Dubai apartment in July.
A former chairman of Egypt's largest publicly traded real estate company and a member of the Shura Council, the upper house of parliament, Moustafa was arrested on September 2 and charged with ordering and paying for the killing.
Tamim, 30, was found dead in her flat on July 28. She had been stabbed several times in the face and body with a knife.
Moustafa and Sukary were both behind bars during the court proceedings. Moustafa denied his involvement in Tamim's murder.
"I swear in God's name I didn't kill her. My hands are clean of her blood," Sukary shouted from behind the bars.
The Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG) is one of Egypt's biggest companies. The group combines a total of 23 companies with a workforce of more than 10,000 people.
After Moustafa's arrest TMG shares plunged in the Egyptian stock market.
Tamim rose to fame after winning a Lebanese talent show in 1996. The singer's troubled personal life outshone her singing career. Her second marriage to a Lebanese producer, Adel Maatouk, was marked by several public disputes, including the accusation that Tamim had stolen 350,000 dollars from him.
The trial has been adjourned with the next hearing set for November 15.
