The European Arab Production Company in Beirut, owned by Adel Maatooq husband of Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim, demanded that a Cairo court take actions against the administration of the Egyptian television channel for hosting Suzan without signing a contract with them. The company presented a tape and requested that the court take a look at it, which shows Suzan singing, saying that the channel had no right to host her before agreeing with them first since they own all rights to any performance held by the singer.
According to the London based daily, Al Sharq Al Awsat, the company stressed that they have rights over all of Suzan’s entertainment activities for 15 years, meaning her contract with them ends in 2016. Adel added that any activity Suzan holds without their knowledge faces legal prosecution and the sponsors will surely be taken to court.
Tamim was recently in the United States of America and had fell into many problems after the sponsor of her concerts filed a lawsuit against her for not abiding by the contract between them. The singer was held at a New Jersey police station for attempting to escape paying a fine to the sponsor, Danny. When she realized that her passport is missing when she was asked to present any form of identification.
The incident forced the singer to seek the assistance of the Lebanese Embassy in the US hoping that they would grant her a new passport, but once the singer's name appeared on the embassy's computer, the embassy refused to grant her a new passport due to the fact that there are different lawsuits against her filed in Lebanon.
At that point the embassy was able to grant her a Laisser Passer, which is a French term for an identification card that proves who she is and allows her safe passage to Lebanon. Suzan was then scheduled to head back to Lebanon as her Laisser Passer only allows her passage there, but she surprised everyone by showing up in Cairo.
Everyone wondered how the singer managed to go to Egypt and realized that she must have issued a new passport in the US. It was revealed that in fact the Lebanese Consul in New York, Rami Murtada, had issued a new passport for Suzan allowing safe passage wherever she pleases. The action taken by Rami is considered illegal according to Lebanese law due to the fact that there are court orders demanding the return of Suzan to Lebanon. Rami was instantly removed from his position and was discharged.
Suzan has many lawsuits held against her in Lebanon, including a strict ban forbidding her from traveling filed by her husband producer Adel, who met with the Lebanese minister of Foreign Affairs and filed a formal lawsuit against Consul Rami Murtada for issuing her a new passport.
The sponsor of Suzan’s concerts in the US has filed a complaint demanding the singer pay him 760 thousand US dollars in compensation for losses she has caused him. It was revealed that during her tour the singer would suddenly decide not to perform if the number of attendance is too low without prior notice to the sponsor a matter which caused the sponsor numerous losses by having to return prepaid tickets to people in addition to having to pay for the space that was to be used by the singer. After repeating this instance more than once, the sponsor filed a complaint against the singer and in turn she was seized for two hours at a local police station. At the station, the singer stressed that the contract between her and the sponsor does not specify that she must perform every concert.
While the singer was being questioned by the police, she faked a nervous breakdown and was immediately sent to hospital. Numerous tests were made and it was apparent that Suzan was perfectly normal and that she had faked the whole thing and was sent back to the New Jersey police station. The sponsor had made it clear that the singer had put on the charade just to get out of paying him the 760 and accused her of fraud. The singer remains in police custody and is forbidden to leave until she pays the sponsor the fine of 760 thousand US dollars. – Albawaba.com
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
