What’s Next? Mirza Says Measures to Execute Warrants Took their Legal Course
A day after the edginess that followed the announcement of the details of the indictment in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder case, the Lebanese people were on Friday pondering the next move of Lebanese authorities.
On Thursday, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon issued a long-awaited indictment and arrest warrants for the Feb. 2005 assassination of Hariri, with Hizbullah members reportedly among those named.
Media reports said the arrest warrants were issued for four Lebanese suspects. They are Mustafa Badreddine, brother-in-law of slain Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh, Salim Ayyash, Hassan Aneissy, known as Hassan Issa, and Assad Sabra.
Lebanese authorities have 30 days to serve the indictments on suspects or execute the arrest warrants. If they fail, the tribunal can then order the indictment published. The Hague-based court can hold trials in absentia if suspects cannot be arrested.
Al-Liwaa daily said that General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza is expected on Friday to meet with the acting head of the Judicial Police, Brig. Gen. Salah Eid, and Col. Abdo Njeim, who is the head of the Central Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Mirza will most probably order them to arrest the four within the one-month period set by the protocol signed between the tribunal and the Lebanese government, the newspaper said.
The indictment included details on investigation carried out by the STL about the whereabouts of the suspects to easily seize them, a source told al-Liwaa.
But the National News Agency said the reported meeting between Mirza and Eid would not take place. It did not say if the general prosecutor would meet Njeim or not.
It quoted Mirza as saying “the legal measures to execute the arrest warrants handed over by the international tribunal delegation took their course towards implementation” since Thursday.
He did not provide further details as to what steps the judiciary would take to find the four suspects.
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