A Tunisian court has delivered a verdict against prominent Iraqi singer Kathem El Saher forcing him to pay a fine of 36,000 US dollars to Tunisian concert sponsor El Saed Lasa’ed.
The case goes back to 1993 when the singer signed a contract with Lasa’ed to hold performances in different Tunisian cities. Kathem broke the contract and cut his tour short.
Kathem appealed the verdict after Lasa’ed sent a request to the administration of the Qatar Music Festival, requesting they freeze the singer's payment until he paid the fine.
In addition, the head of the Egyptian Television and Radio Union decided to exclude Kathem from this year's celebrations after the singer refused to abide by the terms of their contract, which stated that he must perform for the television network alongside other singers.
On a different note, Kathem recently returned from London where he held a grand performance at the Royal Albert Hall. The concert drew over five thousand Arabs from across Europe, and proceeds went directly to needy Iraqi children.
Kathem also held concerts in Qatar and Sudan in March. Traditionally, the singer likes to hold performances around the Arab world to connect with his fans.
Kathem is preparing for the release of his upcoming album, including a variety of songs in the Iraqi dialect. The singer recently released a music video for the song "El Ibnaiah" (The Girl), and intends on filming a new one for the song "Mirtibta ao ma Mirtibta" (Are you Engaged or Not), which he composed.
