Naharnet - STL Chief of Investigation Decides Not to Extend His 1-Year Contract - January 6, 2010

The Office of the Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced that its Chief of Investigation Naguib Kaldas will be departing the Special Tribunal at the end of his contract on February 28, 2010 to return to his home country, Australia, where he will resume his duties as Deputy Commissioner of the New South Wales Police. "It is with regret that I will leave the Tribunal and the ranks of the Office of the Prosecutor and the investigation team. But when the Prosecutor hired me for the position of Chief of Investigation, I had accepted the offer with the understanding that I would serve only for one year up to the end of February 2010 and then I have to go back to my post in Australia," Kaldas explained. He added: "I am leaving with the same sense of optimism that the Prosecutor has expressed about the progress we've made and continue to make in the investigation and I am confident that the team of professionals I am leaving behind will get the job done." On his part, STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare expressed regret "that Kaldas would not be able to extend his contract for a further period.""I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to Mr. Kaldas for the significant contribution he made to the work of the OTP and for the leadership and dedication he showed during his service with us and I wish him success in his future endeavors," Bellemare stated. He added: "Mr. Kaldas will be missed but our work will go on at the pace we set for it and I soon will start the process of identifying a new Chief of the Investigation Division to replace Mr. Kaldas."