Harb to File Lawsuit against Madi: I Will Make His Case an Example to Introduce Reform in Lebanon
MP Butros Harb condemned on Tuesday General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi's request to strip him of his parliamentary immunity, accusing him of collaborating with Hizbullah to cover up the accused in the assassination attempt against him.
He said during a press conference: “I will file a lawsuit against Madi and I will make his case an example to introduce reform in Lebanon”
“I will request that parliament strip me of my immunity in order to allow me to confront Madi,” he added.
“I call on Madi to confront me personally and not hide behind the judiciary,” he continued.
“My position is directed strictly against the general prosecutor and his actions, contrary to what he is trying to imply through hiding behind President Michel Suleiman,” Harb declared.
“Madi's history bares witness to his actions, while my own demonstrates that I have never remained silent over any wrongdoings,” the MP stressed.
Madi demanded on Monday to strip Harb of his parliamentary immunity over remarks he made on the judiciary and President Michel Suleiman after Mahmoud Hayek, a Hizbullah member, was charged with the attempt on his life.
“I thank Suleiman for his intervention to tackle this case and press for an arrest warrant to be issued against Hayek. The president protects the law and he is not biased against any side,” the lawmaker said.
Harb then recounted the steps that led to an arrest warrant being issued against Hayek, saying that his insistence to apprehend the suspect was met by indifference by the general prosecution.
He then accused Madi of seeking to strike a deal with Hizbullah in order to protect Hayek and cover up the case, saying he is biased towards the March 8 camp.
Addressing the general prosecutor, he stated: “You insulted the authority that you should represent.”
“Madi is a private prosecutor, not a general one,” said Harb, while revealing that he will request that the judicial inspection bureau and Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi tackle the case.
“The whole of Lebanon would be in danger if its judiciary is jeopardized,” he remarked.
“Had those in possession of illegal arms handed over their weapons, the state would have been stronger, we would not have reached this current state of affairs, and my assassination attempt would not have taken place,” he noted.
“The possession of illegitimate arms is the main cause of Lebanon's problems,” he stressed.
“Madi's case is the product of the current state of affairs in Lebanon. We should not allow him, and the likes of him, to tarnish the judiciary's image,” Harb declared.
Madi later criticized the MP's statements, saying: “Should I choose to respond to him, I will do so through legal and civilized means.”
"His claims are not based on evidence," he was quoted as saying by Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).
The March 14 opposition lawmaker escaped the assassination bid after residents of a building in which his office is located in the Beirut district of Badaro discovered individuals trying to booby-trap the elevator.
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