Mum on New Indictments, Bellemare Meets Hamade, Chidiac, Hawi's Widow
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare didn’t disclose during his meetings with Lebanese senior officials if Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen will issue new indictments in the attacks on the three officials that have been linked to ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.
Later on Friday, Bellemare, accompanied by his team, visited the office of State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza where he met with MP Marwan Hamadeh, journalist May Chidiac and Suzy Madayan, the widow of slain former Communist party chief George Hawi.
The STL prosecutor held talks also with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.
Last week, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published a report saying that Fransen has made a progress in preparing the indictments in the assassination attempts of Hamadeh and ex-Defense Minister Elias Murr, and Hawi's murder.
According to the report, Bellemare has referred to Fransen his probe into the three cases and that the pre-trial judge is preparing the indictments pending their release.
The court has already indicted four Hizbullah members in Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination. But Lebanese authorities have so far failed to arrest them.
Ministerial sources told As Safir daily that the prosecutor was keen not to discuss key issues with Lebanese officials during a three-day farewell visit before the end of his mandate at the end of February.
Bellemare expressed his gratitude to Lebanon, the sources said.
He also discussed the stages of his work with the STL as the head of U.N. International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) to his appointment as the STL’s prosecutor and the release of the indictment in Hariri’s assassination.
However, Bellemare avoided revealing the identity of his successor, noting that there’s a mechanism followed at the United Nations for such an appointment.
He said that the final decision goes back to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon.
On Thursday, Bellemare held a meeting with Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, Prosecutor Mirza, and former Minister Murr.
The court announced in December that Bellemare has informed U.N. chief that, for health reasons, he does not intend to seek reappointment for a second term as prosecutor at the end February.
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