BEIRUT: Lawyers at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon clashed Tuesday over the admissibility of evidence used by the prosecution for “political background.”
After logging a series of call tables listing contact between the phone of the deceased head of the Syrian National Intelligence Agency Rustom Ghazaleh and a number connected to Syrian forces in Anjar and another alleged Hezbollah representatives in Beirut's southern suburbs, Prosecutor Fabia Wong noted that they were exclusively for the purpose of “political context.”
Defense lawyer Guenael Mettraux however, pushed back against the admission of these documents into the record. “If you can say ‘political context,’ and get anything on the record, what are we doing here?” he challenged.
In response, lawyers for the prosecution explained that “further details will be drawn out in the course of the chronology of the case” – ostensibly referring to future testimony that will, according to Prosecutor Alexander Milne, “seek to pull together all of these threads.”
Nevertheless, Mettreaux was not satisfied with this explanation. “To the extent to which this evidence is said to be important to the case, we as the defense are entitled to know what it is in order to confront it,” said Mettraux.
“We shouldn’t play this hide and seek game of guessing whether the calls will be involved.” Mettraux added.
Prosecutor Milne attempted to assuage the defense’s concerns. “When all of this is in place, we will invite you to step back to see how all the pieces fit together.”
After logging a series of call tables listing contact between the phone of the deceased head of the Syrian National Intelligence Agency Rustom Ghazaleh and a number connected to Syrian forces in Anjar and another alleged Hezbollah representatives in Beirut's southern suburbs, Prosecutor Fabia Wong noted that they were exclusively for the purpose of “political context.”
Defense lawyer Guenael Mettraux however, pushed back against the admission of these documents into the record. “If you can say ‘political context,’ and get anything on the record, what are we doing here?” he challenged.
In response, lawyers for the prosecution explained that “further details will be drawn out in the course of the chronology of the case” – ostensibly referring to future testimony that will, according to Prosecutor Alexander Milne, “seek to pull together all of these threads.”
Nevertheless, Mettreaux was not satisfied with this explanation. “To the extent to which this evidence is said to be important to the case, we as the defense are entitled to know what it is in order to confront it,” said Mettraux.
“We shouldn’t play this hide and seek game of guessing whether the calls will be involved.” Mettraux added.
Prosecutor Milne attempted to assuage the defense’s concerns. “When all of this is in place, we will invite you to step back to see how all the pieces fit together.”
Source & Link : The Daily Star
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