September 18, 2009 - Daily Star - STL prosecutor's office slams erroneous media reports

By Patrick Galey

BEIRUT: The office for the prosecutor in the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) sought on Thursday to clarify what it termed “inaccurate” media coverage, even as new and unconfirmed reports regarding its former chief investigator emerged. Radia Ashouri, spokesperson for STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, in an email seen by The Daily Star, said that in spite of several recent corrections published in the wake of misquotations, errors “continue to appear in other press articles and news reports that are based on the initial inaccurate reports.”

Ashouri’s comments came in the wake of an interview given by Bellemare to Future News, aired Wednesday, in which the prosecutor corrected previous reports on the progress of evidence gathering and the pros­pect of looming indictments.

“It was reported that I had a full file, that I was ready to move an indictment. We do have information, but we are not ready to file an indictment,” said Bellemare, who recently returned to his duties in The Hague following time off in his native Canada for health reasons.

“Now what I have to satisfy myself is that the evidence that we have now is evidence that is admissible in court according to international standards that are contained now in the rules of procedure,” Bellemare said.

Media intrigue in the tribunal, which aims to bring to justice those responsible for the assassination of five-time Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri in 2005, has revived recently and allegations from former suspects have increased antipathy between the case’s interested parties.

Responsibility for Hariri’s kill­ing has been widely laid at Syria’s door, and despite repeated denials of involvement from Damascus, reports of the country’s participation persist.

On Thursday, the daily Al-Akhbar reported that Syria had filed a formal complaint to the UN over the conduct of former chief investigator Detlev Mehlis, who Damascus claims had tried to frame Syrian figures.

The paper quoted an official diplomatic source in New York, alleging that Mehlis “fabricated, forged and created politicized information to hit at Syria and its reputation.”

The complaint also claimed Mehlis and his then-aide Gerhard Lehmann “came up with wrong information aimed at involving Syria at any cost in that heinous crime,” said the source.

In April, four former Leba­nese generals – held in custody for four years – were released upon Bellemare’s recommendation. Media speculation has en­sued ever since, catalyzed by comments made by two of the generals – former ISF head Ali al-Hajj and former General Security chief Jamil al-Sayyed – that the Lebanese judiciary had failed in its cooperation with the STL.

Ashouri clarified the prosecution’s official stance on the men, citing comments made by Bellemare. “The officers were not tried and therefore there was no decision to acquit them and to pronounce them guilty,” said Bellemare. “Their current status is the status of anyone else; they are presumed innocent and if I find evidence against them I will knock at their doors.”

Ashouri sought to distance the office of the prosecutor from reports claiming Bellemare had acquired irrefutable evidence during the course of his investigations. “I am optimistic and we are aggressively pursuing our investigative efforts,” Bellemare had officially said, some way short of that which had been reported.