Lawyer Salameh Says to Confine Syria Lawsuit to Saqr
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Lebanese lawyer Rashad Salameh said on Friday that he will limit the Syrian lawsuit against those who are allegedly involved in arming the Syrian opposition to al-Mustaqbal lawmaker Oqab Saqr only if he was proven guilty in the case.
Salameh, who was appointed on Syria's behalf, said in comments published in the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that “the parliament has to lift Saqr's immunity as he will not surpass the decision undertaken by it concerning the case.”
“I don't see there's a reason to expand prosecution to include others as the final decision relies on the Lebanese judiciary that can either choose to keep the case dormant or carry out the necessary investigations,” Salameh pointed out.
The lawyer stressed that he is waiting for the stance of General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi, who requested the recordings of interviews and a press conference conducted by Saqr in recent weeks and tasked the Central Criminal Investigations Bureau with examining audio recordings implicating him in the transfer of arms to Syria.
“I know my limits... If I filed a lawsuit it will be restricted to MP Saqr... I will not file a lawsuit against former PM Saad Hairi no matter what, even if his name was in the recordings I will remove it,” Salameh told al-Hayat.
OTV and al-Akhbar newspaper recently revealed that Saqr had been carrying out arms deals with Syrian opposition members, with the television station airing leaked recordings of conversations between the lawmaker and Meqdad.
The lawmaker accused OTV and al-Akhbar of tampering with the audiotapes, adding that he will file a lawsuit against them.
According to An Nahar newspaper, Salameh will file the lawsuit against Saqr on Friday or by Monday maximum, depending on the preparations of the necessary documents.
Media reports said on Thursday that the Interpol will not deal with the Syrian arrest warrants against Hariri, Saqr and Free Syrian Army member Louay al-Meqdad in line with its constitution and rules.
The move comes in light of requests by the Lebanese judiciary to question Syrian security chief Ali Mamlouk, a colonel identified only as Adnan as suspects in the case of former Minister Michel Samaha and Buthaina Shaaban, Assad's media adviser, to be questioned as a witness in the case. An Nahar also reported that the lawyer is expected to defend Mamlouk and Colonel Adnan, who have been summoned by Lebanese judiciary for questioning on January 14, 2013.
On Monday, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr completed his assessment of the Samaha case, requesting that the investigation expand to include the questioning of Mamlouk, Colonel Adnan, and Shaaban.
He had requested that Mamlouk and Colonel Adnan be summoned as suspects in the case and that Shaaban be addressed as a witness.
Samaha was arrested in August on charges of forming a criminal gang aimed at carrying out terrorist attacks in Lebanon at Syria's behest.
14 December 2012, 18:09
04
Oh look, the filthy Iranian revolutionary guard wannabe terrorist just got out of prison after a long absence due to incarceration and is gracing us with his steaming pile of buffalo chips.
15 December 2012, 03:50
04
Bandoul, He stole a BMW and drove it around 'till one of the Mekdads gave him up fin order to get a reduced sentence for the terrorist activities.
14 December 2012, 09:39
17
He is a lawyer. He would defend Satan as long he is getting paid. Lawyers would do the same thing in any country. Why is this one a traitor?
14 December 2012, 10:08
52
because in their biased minds guilt is not determined by law, trials, evidence and the whole judicial process. they just decide who is guilty based on who they like and who they dont. they're very modern like that.
14 December 2012, 19:17
02
That statement isnt corrrect. I cant think of any other place on earth where a lawyer who is a citizen of one country would WILLINGLY defend someone from another country who is suspected of wanting to commits acts against said lawyers country
14 December 2012, 09:41
61
Has the General Prosecutor Hatem Madi received the audio recordings. It's been a while and we still haven't heard anything. These recordings should be analyzed meticulously as they will reveal the truth behind this entire story. I've listened to the 3 part OTV recordings and i noticed inconsistencies and then i took my time to listen to Saqr's entire press conference and also noticed a few glitches. I am not an expert but i can tell if Saqr is cleared from all accusations by the court of law,OTV will be swimming in a pool of lawsuits for a long time to come.
14 December 2012, 10:09
42
more than just a few "glitches" in saqr's fabrications:
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/sakr%E2%80%99s-flimsy-%E2%80%98not-so-smart%E2%80%99-fabrications
14 December 2012, 10:18
43
again mowaten you base all your accusations on alakhbar known to be close to hezbis.... i thought you were more objective than that!
14 December 2012, 11:16
41
again peace, of course pro-m14 outlets will not publish a damning demonstration of saqr's lies. but what are you saying here? if m14 doesnt say it then it never happened?
do you see me dismissing everything published on naharnet because it's pro-m14? lol dont lecture me on objectivity habboub, i read all sources while you're plugged on just one side.
and anyway, beyond partisan considerations, the analysis of the recordings is factual, and any sound engineer can get them and do his counter expertize. if al akhbar's claims were unfounded you can be sure saqr's team would have unleashed on them.
finally, all this will be settled in court. let the two sides provide their tapes to the court, the experts will present their analysis and findings, and the judges will give their verdict.
14 December 2012, 10:20
23
i don t see why you are so offuscated by this case? helping freedom fighters, where is the problem? :)
14 December 2012, 10:38
52
peace said."helping freedom fighters, where is the problem?"
No problem , you can help by going there yourself if you like.
The point Mowaten makes is simple. STOP LYING.
14 December 2012, 14:41
50
the filthy zionist scum think that there are fighter that will free them from syria/lebanese rockets and fighters.
just keep hallucinating
14 December 2012, 10:38
04
My Question is the following: If both sides claim to have all recordings why don't they just present them to the General Prosecutor Hatem Madi and why did OTV just release bits and pieces of the actual recordings because you can clearly tell that there are hours and hours of prolonged phone conversations. I know that for a televised audience they cannot but release parts of the recordings but it should be available for the general public to listen to. Sakr claims that he gave all reporters present at the conference cds of all recordings. Why haven't any of them written or published anything about these actual recordings. Why haven't any of the them sent them to a lab for further analysis. A follow up is what keeps breaking news interesting.I doubt Sakr gave everything to the reporters and i also doubt the authenticity of the first tapes released by OTV. Both sides seem to be hiding clues we are looking for.
14 December 2012, 11:30
24
I am now inclined to believe that in Lebanon we are going from silly to total ridicule. Here we are, a dying Syrian oppressive regime accusing one opponent whom it seems ended up having no choice but emulate the workings of Bachar's Lebanese allies, M8. This same Syrian regime still refuses to accept the unfathomable atrocities it committed in Lebanon for decades, let alone the complete pilfering of our treasury and economy. Sure, Okad Sakr is as guilty as hell, but then Hezbollah is a hundred folds as guilty as him, so what kind of charade are we Lebanese again facing? Bachar will be gone pretty soon, once ridden of his shadows, let the State take all law breakers to task.
14 December 2012, 11:39
41
does the (presumed) guilt of one excuse the other?
what's your point? if someone committed a crime then he shouldn't be held accountable because supposedly someone else did the same thing? what kind of twisted logic is that?
also evidence was found incriminating saqr.
if you want to sue HA go ahead, as long as you can provide more than hunches and assumptions, get evidence of HA supposed crimes and sue them. ahlan w sahlan.
14 December 2012, 16:05
04
tell us what crime did sakr commit? isn t hezbis helping syria too? that is not a crime but sakr helping rebels is?
but then again there are the good ones - those with M8 and the bad ones -those against them ! binary thinking for binary minds....
what twisted logic do you M8ers have!!!!
14 December 2012, 17:17
40
the judges will tell you. i'm not internet courts like you mfarateens. there are facts, there is evidence, there is a law, and hopefully justice will prevail.
14 December 2012, 17:19
40
find evidence of HA "crimes" and sue them. why isnt m14 doing that? i think they can hire quite a few lawyers with all the money they stole from us, so i'm not worried: if they had anything solid the case would already be in court.
14 December 2012, 23:26
03
lol mowaten! how could there be "crimes" for hezbis as they are helping those your gvt work for! they are covered by your friends and their arsenal! lol so naive mowaten...
tell us why is it good that hezbi side with the shabbiha and bad when one is helping rebels? lol the exact same thing!!!!
14 December 2012, 11:46
14
Before we Lebanese embark on yet again another round of infighting between us for the sake of the crumbling Syrian regime of Al Assad, here is just one simple case in point. Do you guys know that we still a director of Railways in Lebanon? Yes, the railways system that runs from North to South or supposed to. Who put hi there in the first place? Why does he keep taking a nice salary every month plus fat gratuities? Is he not a Syrian loyalist? Please, we are fighting each other for what? When the very grass under our feet is being cut, mustn't we be more cautious? Please, some common sense, the scenery will soon change anyway, so best be prepared for what is to come.
14 December 2012, 12:06
22
phoenix i dont know who the director of the lebanese railway is, and why you say he is a syrian loyalist (can you elaborate?)
but beyond the purely political aspect i still have hope that it will be revived, and while it's not operating, the entity is still the owner of a lot of assets and real estate.
unless the entity is dissolved and its assets are sold or their ownership transferred to another public entity, it cannot be without a director. it's a legal requirement that all companies public or private have a designated director.
i while i can easily understand this has a cost, the problem with dissolving the company and reassigning its properties is that it would be the end of any hope to revive the train.
i just read this article and found it interesting, if you care to read it
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/Nov/03/Steam-and-steel-railway-era-evokes-feelings-of-nostalgia.ashx#axzz2F1guX0FA
14 December 2012, 12:12
22
"The State Railwa has a number of Polish-made diesel locomotives as well as a few US-made diesel shunting engines. They are housed in sheds at the Jisr al-Wati yard and maintained in good working order by company employees.
The old Mar Mikhail train station in Beirut has been restored and still stands proud behind the State Railway Company's bus maintenance shed, its wind-up clock still keeping time for a train that will never come."
it sounds so unreal...
14 December 2012, 12:05
10
Why spare Hariri ? The whole story is fishy. Media pop. Nothing will come out of it other than more hate.
14 December 2012, 12:11
24
All law breakers should be indicted, M14' and M8's. All who broke the law, everyone, which is why I still maintain that we Lebanese have a real window of opportunity which we must use once Bachar Al Assad is gone. We need to take this chance, to rebuild our own state from scratch since now there will be a lot less interference from any outside influence. Everyone is now too busy with their own preoccupations, so let's take our chance to make ours a real state with a real judiciary. Either everyone comes under the law, or we shall forever live in what seems to be a state, but never a real state. It is said, "a society is judged by the quality of its justice".
14 December 2012, 14:44
31
the filthy zionist scum repeats "when assad is gone" hallucination
14 December 2012, 12:21
12
Unfortunately our judges drop such cases because they fear for their lives.
14 December 2012, 12:40
21
Hey Rashad, chill out dude, talk to your other client Abdul Latif Fneish he can hook you up with great meds at a good price they'll take the edge off and get you thinking starlight again.
14 December 2012, 18:07
01
Oh look, the filthy Iranian revolutionary guard wannabe terrorist just got out of prison after a long absence due to incarceration and is gracing us with his steaming pile of buffalo chips.
14 December 2012, 12:44
02
@mowaten... Wow I had no idea! Y the hell don't we have a running train then?! Wtf :s this would b so helpful for us. :(
14 December 2012, 13:38
12
yes it would be a great thing for our country, i really hope one day we'll see those trains (or more modern ones ;)) back on track..
according to the dailystar article the problem is with the network which was dismantled and would cost a lot to be restored, not to mention
"adding that much of the coastal property belonging to the Lebanese State Railway and Public Transport Co. has been built over since the war with chalets and hotels"
just imagine having to cut through all the hotels between residences de la mer and portemilio, just this is millions, maybe billions, of economic value.. and that's just a few kilometers, the whole Lebanese coast has been chaotically built upon.
14 December 2012, 13:44
11
but i remember reading about a concept, can't remember who was behind it or where i read it, but it relied on building new tracks on the sea, basically building a 200km bridge from south to north following the coast... maybe it's unrealistic, but imagine trains speeding above the water, linking tyr-tripoli trip in about 40 minutes... would be a dream come true for most lebanese, and such a pride for the nation
14 December 2012, 15:38
12
Wow, a modern railway system that will link all the major points of Lebanon. Can you imagine all the congestion that this will solve? True, there's lots of lands that belong to the railway company, but sadly, some big shots have taken them for themselves. They should be restituted, including the beaches.
14 December 2012, 15:52
01
rather than a bridge over the water which will ruin the entire coastline, can build a tunnel, subway, with statiions in all coastal cities, and some in between. May not be the cheapest option, but certainly the most aesthetic.
14 December 2012, 16:09
02
hariri wanted to revive the railway system but all MPs including those from his camp refused because it would have ruined their businesses....!
you can even find reports on the feasability and cost of the project...just check out
