European Diplomatic Sources to As-Safir: Fransen Returned Bellemare’s Indictment Before March 13

Local Editor

A European diplomatic source revealed to As-Safir daily that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's (STL) General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare did not take back the indictment which he presented, along with further evidences, to the tribunal's Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen in January 17, 2011.

The same source referred to that Franses was not convinced with the content of the indictment, or with the evidences given by Bellemare, which made the first give back the indictment, and the latter had to resend another amended indictment.

In this context, As-Safir daily stated, according to a Lebanese lawmaker, what the tribunal's public relations office official said, that Fransen's mission to look into the amended indictment needs a couple of months, leads to a deduction proving the aforementioned revelations.

The Lebanese lawmaker added that what Franses now possess is a new indictment different from the first, and it needs to be examined for months, although Franses does not have any time limit for finishing the examination, and therefore for issuing the indictment.

Furthermore, the Lebanese source clarified that with reference to Fransen's performances, the source would not find it strange if Fransen refered the indictment back to Bellermare, adding that Fransen wouldn't have done that if he was convinced with the indictment's content and evidences.