Daily Lesson from Life 22 May 2009

"Egypt tycoon to hang for murder of Lebanese pop star
The case with its mix of wealth, show business and politics has gripped Egypt. -Fri, May 22, 2009 AFP

CAIRO (AFP) - - A Cairo court sentenced to death on Thursday an Egyptian tycoon and an ex-cop hitman for the murder last year of the businessman's former lover, Lebanese pop star Suzanne Tamim.

The judge ordered Hisham Talaat Mustafa and retired policeman Mohsen al-Sukkari hanged for
respectively ordering and carrying out the brutal slaying of the singer in a luxury Dubai apartment in July.


Mustafa, a stalwart of Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party, was found guilty of paying Sukkari two million dollars to cut the throat of Tamim, 30, at the Dubai flat she bought months before the murder.

The accused's family members wept, and some of Mustafa's entourage grappled with photographers and cameramen who rushed to the cages where the two men were held after the judge read out the verdict. Mustafa's wife fainted.


Sukkari, who had read from a copy of the Koran, and pensively smoked a cigarette before the judge entered the court, trembled and turned pale after the verdict was read out.

Abdel Sattar Tamim, the slain singer's father, told AFP in Beirut that the family was satisfied with the verdict and was now awaiting the final ruling by the mufti.


"We have full faith in the Egyptian judicial system and we are awaiting the final ruling," he told AFP. "The family is all gathered and we are following this closely.

The case with its mix of wealth, show business and politics has gripped Egypt, where powerful businessmen are rarely seen to face justice.


Samir al-Shishtawi, one of Mustafa's lawyers, told reporters that the defence would appeal the verdict. "I want to assure Talaat Mustafa's family that this verdict will be overturned by the appeals court," he said.

Mustafa, 49, was arrested in September and had his immunity lifted as member of the Shura Council, Egypt's upper house of parliament.


He ran the Talaat Mustafa Group real estate conglomerate that is worth several billion dollars, and is said to have been close to President Hosni Mubarak's son and heir apparent, Gamal.

State news paper Al-Ahram had published partial transcripts of the recordings, in which Mustafa suggested that Tamim be thrown from a balcony, or run over by a car.


The police officer who arrested Sukkari testified that Sukkari said in interrogation that Mustafa asked for Tamim's severed head to be delivered before he payed for the killing, Al-Ahram reported."

An early entry to my daily blog as the news headline captured my attention. The lessons for me, assuming the tycoon's intended appeal failed, are:

1. Being a wealthy and power person in one of the oldest civilizations in the world does not guarantee civilized behaviors! This case happened in Egypt. It could have jolly well happened in China, India, and Iraq. It could have happened in the younger civilization like the USA, the UK, etc. For the lack of realization of the responsibilities of what good they could have done for more people with the wealth and power, some of them decided to abuse them! An opportunity missed - sadly;

2. It is human nature to become arrogant and lost one's way when you are surrounded with material goods, and admiring, or worst, parasites who are subservient to you just to make a 'decent' living around you! As leader, you simply have to devise ways to REMIND yourself of such traps. It has to be deliberate and not left to chance;

3. we can start with 3 suggestions by me. Namely, a) look at the mirror each morning and tell yourself: 'there are rooms for improvement. What are the 3 good things I can do today to make others happy and grow?'; b) test the people around you with an occasional 'stupid' idea and see if they will tell you so - with facts and respect!; c) remind yourself the responsibilities of being wealth and powerful is to help many more less fortunate people to have a better holistic life - not just showering them with material gifts!

It is not easy to ask others to do the reminding for you as you are, after all, rich and powerful. It has to start from you. Hopefully your dearest and closest family members will do that next. And then those who really want to you succeed on a sustainable manner will join in too.

4. all 'brave' men will realize their stupidity when death sentence is read to them. Like that of the hitman who went pale. All 'concerned' family members or friends will 'faint' when the 'worst' news hit when they could do nothing to change anything!

May the lady rest in peace. And the justice be served all over the world - without fear or favor!!