Contrary to March 14 claims, Bellemare says no problem receiving data

 
Source: nowlebanon.com, 10-02-2009

In an interview with Al-Akhbar newspaper to be published on Wednesday, Prosecutor of the UN International Independent Investigation Committee Judge Daniel Bellemare said that the UNIIIC was satisfied with the cooperation shown by the Lebanese cabinet.

Bellemare confirmed the committee had received all the information it requested without any difficulty. He added that as the prosecutor of the Special Tribunal, he would request the Lebanese judicial authorities waive their powers to the committee in the case of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination, as soon as the tribunal commenced its work at The Hague on March 1.

He also said all the files, evidence and arrested suspects in the case would be transferred to The Hague, adding that he expected the lawyers of the four generals already in detention to submit requests to the court for their release. Bellemare said he already gave his view on this issue to the Lebanese general prosecutor.

"Everyone is innocent until proven guilty," he said and affirmed that any conviction would not be based on consensus, but rather on evidence according to standards yet to be defined by the tribunal's judges.

On the issue of "the group of 13," which Lebanese investigation records said was affiliated with al-Qaeda and had admitted to Hariri's assassination, Bellemare said this was a technical case and noted the UNIIIC had not met with the witness Mohammad Zuhair al-Saddiq in a while.