The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has reached the final stage of the proceedings in absentia of five Hezbollah security officers accused of assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others, including MP Bassel Fleihan.
The Tribunal has finished studying evidence provided by the prosecution team and will begin hearing the response of the defense team, an STL official told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The official also said that a new indictment was about to be issued, pertaining to the assassination and attempted assassination of Lebanese figures.
STL Spokeswoman Wajd Ramadan explained to Asharq Al-Awsat the progress of the trials, noting that the Prosecutor has completed the phase of presenting evidence, while the legal representatives of the victims have submitted their case to the judges. She added that the defense teams will now have to present their cases to the court if they wish.
The legal representatives of Hassan Hussein Oneissi submitted an application for acquittal under Rule 167 of the Rules of Procedures and Evidence, Ramadan noted, adding that the competent chamber was looking into the application and would issue its decision accordingly.
The spokeswomen explained in this regard that the application for acquittal is based on Rule 167 of the STL Rules of Procedures and Evidence, which allows the defense team to submit such a request, considering that the Prosecutor of the Court has not provided sufficient evidence to convict the accused of the crime.
A major explosion shook central Beirut on February 14, 2005, killing Rafik Hariri, Bassel Fleihan and 20 other people. Investigations showed that Hariri was killed by a booby-trapped Mitsubishi-Canter truck driven by an unidentified suicide bomber.
This crime, described by the United Nations Security Council as “terrorist”, marked a turning point in Lebanon’s history and caused the Syrian army to leave the country in the spring of 2005.
The accused currently facing trial in absentia are Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra. Warrants for their arrest remain outstanding.
Apart from the Hariri case, information is circulating about the imminent issuance of a new indictment by the STL Prosecutor, linked to other cases, notably the assassination of former Secretary General of the Lebanese Communist Party Georges Hawi and attempts to assassinate Minister Marwan Hamadeh and former Minister Elias Murr.
