April 8, 2010 - Daily Star - STL dismisses leaks by tribunal officials as false

BEIRUT: The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) dismissed “as totally unfounded” the claims repeatedly made about leaks and political maneuvering by tribunal officials in a press statement on Wednesday.

According to the STL statement, “president of the Tribunal Judge Antonio Cassese states that he has full confidence in the responsibility, integrity and professionalism of all staff and judges of the tribunal.”

The statement explained that STL staff are recruited through an open and competitive process similar to that used for UN staff throughout the world. STL Judges are appointed by the UN secretary general upon recommendation of an independent, impartial, and highly qualified panel

With specific reference to the tribunal’s spokesperson, the STL president stressed that the court’s press officer Fatima al-Issawi “does not have access to information about the ongoing investigations, since she is not a staff member of the office of the prosecutor.”

“Thus, she simply cannot be the source of so-called ‘leaks’ in relation to the prosecutor’s work,” he said.

Cassesse expressed his concern that “false claims of leaks and politicization, especially if targeting specific individuals, are unhelpful in building a constructive and mutually beneficial relationship between the media and the tribunal.”

According to the STL statement, the recently published annual report, all information that can be made public during the investigative phase of the tribunal’s work “is routinely disclosed by the tribunal itself on record, in an official way.”

“Regretfully, attacks targeting specific individuals appear to be dangerous attempts to manipulate the work of the tribunal and impede its search for the truth,” the statement said.

Cassese reiterated that the tribunal’s aims “are to prosecute those responsible for the attacks and to render justice in a fair and transparent process, to provide truth, peace of mind to the victims, and reconciliation to Lebanese society.

“The tribunal intends to continue its search for the truth pursuant to the highest standards of justice, without bias, prejudices or any political agenda. There is absolutely no base to suggest otherwise,” the STL statement added. – The Daily Star