Rifi Withdraws from Cabinet for its Failure to Refer Samaha Case to Judicial Council amid Hariri Opposition
Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi withdrew on Thursday from a cabinet session after it failed for a third time to address referring the case of former Minister Michel Samaha to the Judicial Council.
He said from the Grand Serail: “I will return to cabinet once this issue is the first article on its agenda.”
His stance was however rejected by head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri.
Rifi accused certain political powers of hindering efforts to refer the case to the Judicial Council, while noting that the Kataeb ministers backed his stance.
LBCI television said that Rifi has effectively suspended his participation in government.
The minister revealed that he is weighing three options in the Samaha case.
The first calls for referring it to the International Criminal Court and the second calls for referring it to Canada seeing as the official holds Canadian citizenship.
The third option lies in turning to Spain or Belgium whose justice systems allow the pursuit of international crimes, explained LBCI.
“These options are all sound legally,” Rifi told reporters after he exited the cabinet.
“We will not act as false witnesses in such a case. Justice should be achieved in Lebanon otherwise we will never be able to build a proper nation,” he continued.
He vowed: “I will not give up until justice is achieved, no matter the cost.”
Soon after Rifi's withdrawal, Hariri announced via Twitter: “His stance does not represent me and no one should challenge us regarding the assassination of former Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Wissam al-Hassan or the trial of Samaha.”
“Everyone who committed a crime will be punished,” he added.
Hassan was killed in a bombing in Beirut in 2012. The efforts of the Intelligence Bureau were seen as key to Samaha's arrest earlier that year.
The former minister was released from prison earlier his year under a controversial Military Court ruling that sent shockwaves across the country.
Samaha, who was information minister from 1992 to 1995, was released in exchange for a bail payment of 150 million Lebanese pounds. Under his bail conditions, Samaha, 67, was barred from leaving the country for at least one year, speaking to the press or using social media.
The ex-minister was arrested in August 2012 and charged with attempting to carry out "terrorist acts." He was sentenced in May 2015 to four-and-half years in prison, but in June, the Cassation Court nullified the verdict and ordered a retrial.
Samaha, an ex-adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad, admitted during his trial that he had transported the explosives from Syria for use in attacks in Lebanon. He, however, argued he should be acquitted because he was a victim of entrapment by a Lebanese security services informer identified as Milad Kfoury.
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