Cassese Urges Lebanese Authorities to Intensify Attempts to Arrest 4 Suspects
Special Tribunal for Lebanon President Judge Antonio Cassese considered the efforts made by Lebanese authorities to find the four suspects in ex-PM Rafik Hariri’s murder as reasonable but called on them to intensify their attempts to arrest the four men.
“Whilst Judge Cassese deemed their efforts to be reasonable he also called on the authorities to intensify their attempts to arrest the accused,” the STL said in a statement.
Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza is now required to report to the tribunal on a monthly basis, it said.
“It must be emphasized, however, that the report submitted by Lebanon on 9 August 2011 does not end Lebanon’s continuing obligation to assist the Tribunal in searching for, serving, arresting, detaining and transferring the accused,” said Cassese.
The report filed by Mirza states that Lebanon “exerted its utmost efforts to execute (the) arrest warrants in the name of the four accused.”
Cassese’s statement said that the steps taken by the Lebanese authorities, include surveillance, interviewing alleged associates of the accused, visiting localities where the accused are believed to have connections, meeting with municipality officials and interviewing neighbors.
“I understand these procedures satisfy the requirements of Article 147 of the Lebanese Code of Criminal Procedure,” said the STL judge.
The STL Registrar will now transmit “a form of advertisement” to the Lebanese authorities, he added.
Report of STL President Judge Antonio Cassese
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