April 16, 2009 - Naharnet - Najjar: No Official Decision by U.N. Tribunal on Release of 4 Generals

Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar on Thursday said no official decision has been made by the international tribunal on the release of Lebanon's top four security and intelligence generals, detained for alleged involvement in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.The daily As Safir quoted a defense attorney representing the four generals as saying that his defendants are likely to be freed before Monday.
"Head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's defense office did not give any statements to the press regarding the four generals," Najjar told Future News TV.
"What we have read in the papers today came out of the defense attorneys," he stressed. The defense attorney told As Safir that a decision to release the four generals had been taken. Meanwhile, a delegation from the international tribunal visited the generals on Thursday at Roumieh prison. The four generals are Jamil Sayyed, Ali Hajj, Raymond Azar and Mustafa Hamdan who respectively headed the General Security Department, the Internal Security Forces, Military Intelligence and the Presidential Guards Brigade.Last week, a Lebanese investigating judge lifted the arrest warrants against the generals.Judge Saqr Saqr also ordered that the four remain in jail pending a decision on their fate by the STL