March 9, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Achouri denies Bellemare-Mehlis meeting

Spokesperson for the prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Radhia Achouri denied on Tuesday reports that STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare met with his predecessor, Detlev Mehlis.

“Bellemare contacted Mehlis only once via e-mail after he decided to accept heading the investigations into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,” she added.

In an interview with LBC television on Tuesday, Achouri said that the prosecutor’s office drafted the STL President Antonio Cassese’s first annual report, which was handed over to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week. “The report details finalizing the process of collecting information and evidence that would enable Bellemare to issue an indictment.”

Achouri said that the report discounted certain leads and unreliable information following an extensive review of the material gathered throughout the investigation. However, she added the discounted information will not be disclosed to preserve the secrecy of the probe.

“We have a tentative scenario on Hariri’s assassination, and we are trying to verify the evidence so it could be legally accepted,” she said, voicing optimism on the tribunal’s work and progress.

She added that it is impossible to set a deadline for issuing the indictment.