By Hussein Dakroub
BEIRUT: A military judge begins
investigations Monday into former Minister Michel Samaha, who along with a
high-ranking Syrian military official, was formally charged in a terror plot
aimed at destabilizing Lebanon.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said
Sunday that the results of the investigation would determine the stance to be
taken in order to defend the country’s sovereignty.
The charges against Samaha, a
longtime ally and friend of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and the chief of
Syrian National Security Bureau Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, threaten to further
strain the already tense relations between Lebanon and Syria following a series
of deadly incidents on the shared border between the two countries.
Samaha’s reported confessions to his
involvement in the terror plot sparked calls by some March 14 politicians for
Lebanon to sever ties with the Assad regime.
Military Judge Riad Abu Ghida begins
investigation with Samaha Monday, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi said.
Speaking in an interview with Al-Jadeed TV Sunday night, Qortbawi said he did
not know what was the outcome of preliminary interrogation with Samaha despite
a deluge of media leaks that began shortly after the former minister and
lawmaker was taken by members of the Internal Security Forces’ Information
Branch last week from his summer residence in Metn’s Khanshara-Jwar to ISF
headquarters in Beirut for questioning.
Samaha, a former MP and two-time
information minister, was charged Saturday by Lebanon’s Military Tribunal with
plotting to assassinate political and religious figures in the country and
planning terrorist attacks.
In an unprecedented move, Mamlouk
and a Syrian brigadier general, who was identified as Brig. Gen. Adnan, were
also included in the indictment.
Judge Sami Sader, the government’s
deputy commissioner at the Military Tribunal, also charged the three men with
“creating an armed group aimed at committing crimes against the people and
undermining the state’s authority.”
He also accused the three men of
planning to “incite sectarian fighting through preparations to carry out
terrorist attacks with explosives” Samaha transported to Lebanon and stored
after taking possession of them from Mamlouk and Adnan.
Sader also charged the three men
with “planning to kill religious and political figures and working with the
intelligence of a foreign state [Syria] to carry out aggression against Lebanon.”
Samaha was also accused of possessing unlicensed weapons.
Meanwhile, Mikati defended his
government’s policy of dissociating Lebanon from the repercussions of the
17-month unrest in Syria. He said investigations into Samaha’s case would
continue to the end in order to reveal the truth, pinpoint responsibilities and
issue appropriate sentences in the case of “an attempt to destabilize Lebanon,
stir up strife and put explosives in more than one area.”
“We have adopted the disassociation
policy out of our conviction not to interfere in the affairs of others.
Therefore, we will not allow anyone to interfere in our affairs or to turn
Lebanon again into an arena for settling scores or to import external crises to
it,” Mikati said in a statement.
“In light of the information and
results, we will take a political stance and decision that is in tune with
safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence and not to allow anyone to
jeopardize the security and safety of the Lebanese,” he added.
Mikati said he had instructed
security authorities to conduct investigations to determine how these
explosives entered Lebanon and tighten control of all border crossings with
Syria.
Meanwhile, President Michel Sleiman
described reports of plots to carry out bombings in Lebanon as “frightening.”
He spoke during a meeting with ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi and the head of
the ISF’s Information Branch Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan at the Beiteddine
Palace Saturday. Sleiman praised the Information Branch’s discovery of the
explosives which, he said, had averted strife.
For his part, Finance Minister
Mohammad Safadi denied reports that Milad Kfouri, who sources identified as
having provided incriminating footage in the Samaha case, was still in the
minister’s employment.
Security sources told The Daily Star a member of
the Kfouri family had provided what they described as incriminating evidence of
Samaha saying Assad had desired bomb attacks in the country.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Aug-13/184472-military-launches-samaha-probe.ashx#axzz23Ova9jeY
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