March 10, 2010 - Daily Star - Sayyed: Mirza protecting false witnesses

BEIRUT: Former General Security chief Jamil al-Sayyed lashed out on Tuesday against the Lebanese judiciary’s rejection of Syrian judicial summons against 25 Lebanese figures, saying it was clear that Public Prosecutor at the Cassation Court Saeed Mirza was protecting false witnesses and committing violations.

Sayyed’s media office issued a statement in response to the rejection of the summons that were issued by the Syrian judiciary. The Syrian judiciary had requested that 25 Lebanese officials and public figures appear in front of the Damascus First Investigative Magistrate to be interrogated in a lawsuit filed by Sayyed, who alleged that they had deprived him of his freedom and hired false witnesses in the case of the assassination of Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Sayyed’s statement said that Mirza’a rejection of the summons showed that the prosecutor “continued supporting false witnesses and their partners, in addition to committing several important violations.”

He also challenged Mirza’s assertion that it was not within the jurisdiction of the Syrian judiciary to issue the summons. “Mirza officially yielded the case and handed it to the International Criminal Court, which also rejected the case … This gave the Syrian judiciary the authority to pursue the figures concerned, especially that the false witnesses were Syrian citizens,” Sayyed’s statement said.

The statement also rejected Mirza’s assertion that the summoned individuals enjoyed parliamentary, political and judicial immunity. Sayyed said this immunity was only valid on Lebanese territory.

“Mirza also committed an obvious violation of the judicial agreement signed between Lebanon and Syria,” the statement added. – The Daily Star