STL Spokesman Says Baragwanath Appointed in March
The replacement of Judge Antonio Cassese as president of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri triggered wide reactions locally amid controversy on the payment of Lebanon’s share from the tribunal’s budget.
“Judge Baragwanath has been appointed by the STL since March 2009, and has attended all the Appeal Chambers’ meeting,” tribunal spokesman Marten Youssef told An Nahar on Tuesday.
The STL said on Monday that David Baragwanath of New Zealand would take over from the Italian Cassese, who decided to step down for medical reasons.
Youssef said that “this replacement doesn’t affect the tribunal’s work and will not delay it.”
“Cassese resigned for health reasons and will stay on as a Judge of the Appeals Chamber,” he stressed.
The daily remarked that Cassese is in Italy since July undergoing treatment, and was advised by doctors not to travel until he recovers.
It added that he is contacting the tribunal through internet, and insisted on choosing a successor.
As Safir newspaper reported on Tuesday that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was informed about Cassese’s intention to resign before weeks. Other judges, among them Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen, hinted their desire to resign in protest of “the behavior” of Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare.
But the daily did not specify what it meant by his behavior.
According to information obtained by the daily, Ban tried to convince Cassese to remain in his position since his resignation “will lead (at this stage) to the collapse of the tribunal, where he will be able to completely resign before the opening of the trials in June 2012.”
The Netherlands-based tribunal, the only international court with jurisdiction to try acts of terror, was created by a 2007 U.N. Security Council resolution, at Lebanon's request, to try those responsible for Hariri's assassination in a suicide car bombing on February 14, 2005.
Twenty-two other people also died.
In August, the court published a full indictment and said it had enough evidence to put four members of Hizbullah on trial.
Court Registrar Herman von Hebel has said a trial could start around mid-2012, but no arrests have been made as Hizbullah has ruled out handing over the suspects and Lebanese authorities say they cannot be found.
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