Von Hebel Expects STL Trial to Begin in 2012

The Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Herman von Hebel stated on Wednesday that predicting the judicial process in the tribunal is “very difficult.”

He expected however that the trial in the case of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri may begin in 2012.

He stressed however that Lebanon must continue to search for the accused and “in the meantime, the Trial Chamber assesses whether all reasonable measures have been taken by Lebanon.”

Von Hebel made his statements during a question and answer session he held via Twitter where he received questions from Lebanese citizens and journalists.

“If trials have to start without the accused, justice will be ensured. Arrest warrants will remain in place during and after the trial,” he added.

“It is for judges of Trial Chamber to decide whether all measures taken by Lebanon are reasonable. This decision will be made public,” Von Hebel remarked.

Furthermore, it was revealed that STL Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare is due to file a report on Lebanon's efforts to arrest the accused by Thursday to which Von Hebel replied: “The report will be submitted by the STL Prosecution to the Trial Chamber confidentially. It is for the judges to take a decision.”

Addressing the issue of false witnesses, he tweeted: “For the STL, there are no false witnesses since there have been no witnesses testifying in the courtroom.”

“In case of a false witness before the court, the judges can hold them in contempt of court,” the registrar explained.

Furthermore, he said that any issues relating to individuals allegedly providing false information to the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission is a matter for Lebanon and the U.N.

On the extension of the STL’s mandate, he revealed that the President of the STL had recommended an extension of the mandate to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who will in turn decide on the extension after consulting with the Lebanese government and U.N. Security Council.

Addressing media reported linked to the tribunal, Von Hebel said: “We need two make a distinction between leaks and speculation. There has been lot of speculation presented as leaks about accused.”

“Second, we do recognize that there have been leaks. This was primarily from the UNIIIC period,” he stressed.

“Stories about leaks from the STL itself have been greatly exaggerated,” he noted.

“At any rate, any such stories won't impact judicial proceedings as the judges will only consider evidence presented in court,” he remarked.

“There are procedures to deal with leaks and other misconduct of staff, but such procedures are internal,” he explained.

Asked about the credibility of the STL among the Lebanese people, he replied: “It's too early to pass judgment on STL. The first trial has yet to begin and we should be judged by the fairness of our trials.”

Asked if Hizbullah’s allegations against the STL officials have damaged the court's reputation in Lebanon, Von Hebel responded: “We want to engage with the public, but not engage in politics.”

“The judicial work of the STL is not influenced by political events,” he said.

“Judges at the STL are independent and impartial,” he stressed.

The court on August 17 unsealed the indictment against four Hizbullah members accused of being involved in Hariri’s 2005 assassination.

It said that Lebanon must try harder to apprehend them.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said he doubted the four indictees will ever be found and has branded the tribunal a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy aimed at bringing down the party.