US embassy cable - 05CAIRO6755

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 006755 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA, NEA/ELA 
L 
DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2010 
TAGS: KCRM, KJUS, PHUM, PREL, EG 
SUBJECT: SAMEH KHOUZAM: ASSURANCES LETTER FROM EGYPTIAN 
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 01672 
 
     B. STATE 25810 
 
Classified By: ECPO Minister Counselor Michael Corbin for reasons 1.4 ( 
b) and (d). 
 
 1. (C) In response to our March 1 demarche (ref A) and 
Charge's July 27 letter and aide memoire, Post received a 
formal letter from Egypt's Public Prosecutor Maher Abdel 
Wahed regarding Egyptian assurances on the return of fugitive 
murder suspect Sameh Khouzam.  The Public Prosecutor is 
Egypt's ranking law enforcement officer and the counterpart 
of the U.S. Attorney General. 
 
2. (C) Post has informally translated the document, which 
includes a reference to Egypt's constitutional prohibitions 
on the use of torture.  The Arabic original will be faxed to 
NEA/ELA. 
 
3. (SBU) Following is an informal Embassy translation of the 
letter from Public Prosecutor Maher Abdel Wahed.  The Arabic 
language original should be considered the authoritative 
text.  The letter is dated August 4 although we did not 
receive it until weeks later. 
 
BEGIN INFORMAL TRANSLATION: 
 
Charge d'Affaires Mr. Stuart Jones, 
 
In reference to your Excellency's letter dated July 27, 2005 
regarding Egyptian citizen Sameh Sami Shehata Khozam, who is 
wanted by Egyptian authorities in connection with Criminal 
Case No. 432/1998 Ain Shams Homicide, and the memorandum you 
attached thereto, we would like to inform you that the Public 
Prosecutor has the prerogatives to hand over and receive 
criminals wanted for extradition, except national defendants 
whom by virtue of the Egyptian Constitution cannot be 
extradited. 
 
We would also like to inform you that the General Prosecution 
is the agency entitled by law to protect rights, freedoms, 
and duties, and implement legal and procedural guarantees, as 
stipulated by the Constitution and Egyptian laws, to protect 
defendants from -- and punish anyone who commits -- acts 
considered a crime, including the crime of torture, which the 
Egyptian Constitution stipulates should not be dropped by the 
passing of time. 
 
Also, we would like to inform you that the General 
Prosecution is the agency that supervises all places of 
detention and is the one that guarantees the respect for and 
implementation of the required rules for the treatment of 
prisoners.  Any commitments made are made within the 
framework of respect for the implementation of all legal and 
procedural guarantees for the protection of defendants as 
stipulated by the Egyptian Constitution and laws. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Public Prosecutor 
 
Counselor/ Maher Abdel Wahed 
 
August 4, 2005 
 
END INFORMAL TRANSLATION. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Cairo's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo 
 
You can also access this site through the 
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. 
 
RICCIARDONE