Simon Asmar Held on Charges of 'Murder, Bouncing Checks'
Renowned television director Simon Asmar is being interrogated by the Internal Security Forces on charges of murdering a Syrian man whom witnesses said had ties with the veteran Lebanese celebrity.
LBCI television said Asmar denied to interrogators “any link to the murder of Syrian national Mohammed Ragheb al-Darwish, whose body was found in the outskirts of the Kesrouan town of Shahtoul with three gunshot wounds to the head and several stab wounds on several parts of his body.”
According to the TV network, security forces “heard the testimonies of some citizens, who said that the victim had ties with Simon Asmar and that Mohammed blackmailed Asmar several times over this relation, which forced Asmar to pay Mohammed sums of money to stop his blackmail.”
“Investigations are ongoing to verify these details and identify the murderer, especially that the victim's mobile phone was found on him and its memory contains some evidences that might lead to the perpetrator,” security sources said, wondering “how can someone who committed a crime or tasked someone to do it leave a cellphone containing evidence on the body.”
The informed sources told LBCI that “Asmar was also wanted over financial crimes, specifically the issuance of bouncing checks,” adding that “Asmar's family has kept mum over the entire case.”
The body of 27-year-old al-Darwish was found on July 3. The ISF's Public Relations Department said back then that “a refugee ID issued by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Beirut, which mentions that he has a wife and daughter, was found on the body.”
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