As Safir: STL indictments based on circumstantial evidence

As-Safir newspaper said on Friday that Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has reportedly said that charges facing suspects in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri are based on circumstantial evidence and not conclusive evidence.

As-Safir newspaper claims that Bellemare made the revelations before diplomats at the United Nations.

It quoted sources as saying that Bellemare uncovered that the indictment charges would extend to up to 20 party members.

As-Safir said that STL Prosecutor explained ( to a Lebanese politician who met him ) that circumstantial evidence was not based on direct witnesses but on “expert” witnesses.

As Safir, a pro-Syrian newspaper reported last month that STL will indict Hezbollah members starting September in the assassination of former PM Hariri. The report caused turmoil among Lebanese leaders and Hezbollah MPs who, in turn, accused the STL of being an Israeli project aiming to cause internal strife.

Most of the leaks about STL are coming from the pro-Hezbollah/ Syrian media.

According Ash Sharq al Awsat legal advisers the scenarios and conclusions that some people in the media are propagating lack credibility , since they are not based on proper documentation , since whoever knows (STL prosecutor Daniel ) Bellemare and his ability in maintaining complete silence , strict confidentiality and his way of dealing with the public knows very well that these leaks did not come from anyone at STL, hence these leaks lack objectivity .

The legal advisers added that what is being promoted by the media is shocking because some are now trying to undermine the indictments even before they are issued with the aim of ending the role of STL and preventing the prosecution of the perpetrators of the assassinations in Lebanon .

The special tribunal for Lebanon (STL) which is an independent court was formed by the United Nations security council to try the killers of the former Lebanese PM and related crimes.

No one really knows what the contents of the STL indictments will be like , but the leader of the Iranian backed Hezbollah , Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah admitted in his speech on Thursday July 22 that some of his party members would be named in the tribunal’s formal charges but stressed that he will reject the indictments.