Protected Witness Resumes STL Testimony on ISF Measures Taken to Preserve Hariri Crime Scene

A protected witness from the Internal Security Forces resumed on Thursday his testimony before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on the role his bureau played in tackling the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005.

The witness' cross-examination was conducted by the Defense after he was interrogated on Wednesday by the Prosecution.

Counsel for suspect Mustafa Amine Badreddine, lain Edwards, focused his questions on the measures usually followed by the ISF at the time of explosions and at crime scenes.

He inquired about what rules officials follow in such cases to which the witness explained that he only occupied an administrative role at the ISF and that such measures do not fall under his jurisdiction.

He did reveal however that officers did received a book of guidelines on how they should manage crime and explosion scenes.

The protected witness stressed he was responsible for overseeing that the criminal experts were performing their duties at the Hariri blast site.

He was asked by STL Presiding Judge Walid Akoum whether he had witnessed anyone tampering with the crime scene, to which he proceeded to describe the chaos at the site in the few hours that followed the crime.

He said that several people were present at the scene, but that he could not give an exact figure of how many people were there.

The witness said that he soon filed a report on the crime scene and the assassination, which he presented to the investigative judge.

Edwards made a reference during his cross-examination of a report of then Deputy Inspector General and Liaison Officer of the Interior Ministry, Ashraf Rifi.

In his report, Rifi was critical of the manner in which the ISF managed the crime scene, saying that the “measures taken were below the required level and contrary to the obvious fundamental basis upon which crimes as serious as this one or even less serious crimes are investigated.”

Rifi's report also noted that the negligence of the crime scene continued hours after the fire at the site was extinguished.

The protected witness on Wednesday was asked by the Prosecution to identify a number of pieces of evidence that were taken from the crime.

The Defense on Thursday inquired about how the ISF sealed and preserved this evidence.

The witness said that he does not remember if the guidelines stipulate that evidence should be sealed in a bag or envelope when they are collected.

The STL session was adjourned to 11:30 a.m. Beirut time on Friday where one witness will make his testimony.