March 26, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Achouri refuses to comment on those summoned for STL investigation

Spokesperson for the prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Radhia Achouri said in an interview published in Kuwaiti paper Al-Rai’s Friday edition that preserving the secrecy of the investigation into to the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is vital.

The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) does not respond to inquiries over the identity of those summoned for interrogation, she added, noting that any content that is revealed might be used by the criminals to cover evidence and avoid accountability.

Achouri touched on the current process of the three dimensional modeling of the crime scene, saying she will not comment on any speculation on the investigation’s progress. The STL President Antonio Cassese’s report is the sole provider of information in this regard, she added.

“We decided to carry out the process [of three dimensional modeling] now, because it turned out to be essential for the investigation, and the logistics for its implementation are ready,” she said.

She also said the three dimensional modeling is critical and allows a quick, almost complete documentation of the crime scene.

According to Achouri, the OTP never said crimes in Lebanon following 2005 and Hariri’s assassination were related. “We rather said that the investigation has reached elements of connectivity between the Hariri attack and the other attacks,” she stated.

She also said the date for issuing the indictment was not set, but that Cassese voiced hope it would take place by December 2010.

Speculation over the date is useless and unfounded, because the prosecutor is the only one who decides on it, she added.