Cabinet discussion of the “false witnesses file” has been postponed in order to allow more time to reach a consensus, Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said in an interview with Al-Usbuu al-Arabi magazine set to be published on Friday, adding that the matter is not likely to be decided by a vote.
March 8 politicians have called for the cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of witnesses who gave unreliable testimonies to the international investigation into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination.
Some March 14 figures have said that the regular judiciary should handle the issue, while others have argued that unreliable testimonies cannot be investigated until the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) issues its indictment in the case.
The case is not within the Justice Council’s jurisdiction, Najjar said.
He added that media reports about the STL’s indictment are mere speculation, since “no one knows what is in [STL Prosecutor General Daniel] Bellemare’s head.”
Tensions are high in Lebanon amid reports that the tribunal may issue its indictment soon. In July, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the tribunal is an Israeli project and will name members of his party.
Najjar also said that he has completed his legal study of the arrest warrants issued by Syria in former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed’s lawsuit and plans to discuss the matter with the Syrian judiciary.
-NOW Lebanon
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