Hamza acquitted

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THE BRITISH criminal court Old Bailey has cleared Egyptian engineer Mamdouh Hamza of plotting the assassination of four senior Egyptian government officials two years ago.

Hamza, who had been under arrest in the British capital since 12 July 2004, was charged by Scotland Yard with four counts of soliciting to murder People's Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour, former minister of housing Mohamed Ibrahim Suleiman, former minister of parliamentary affairs Kamal El-Shazli, and Chief of Presidential Staff Zakaria Azmi.

But on Tuesday, the 12-member jury unanimously agreed to acquit the 57-year-old Hamza after only 20 minutes of deliberations despite the fact that the judge had given them three days to reach a verdict.

"I was surprised by the court's decision," Hamza said, adding that he would soon file charges against the British government for slander, "and will be back to Egypt after the case is heard."

Informed sources said Sorour's testimony played a major role in acquitting Hamza, in addition to lack of evidence furnished by the plaintiff.

Hamza heads Hamza Associates, one of the largest engineering consultancy firms in the Middle East. He has worked on mega projects including the award-winning Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Toshka and Sharq Al-Tafriaa. He is also a current affairs columnist and a major player in the Children's Cancer Hospital fund-raising initiative.