BEIRUT: Earlier this week at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, defense lawyer Guenael Mettraux made very clear his intentions for cross-examining late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s political ally Bassem Sabaa. “I’m attempting to identify through my questions those who we believe killed Hariri,” Mettrauux told Sabaa.
After long hours questioning Sabaa about former President Emile Lahoud and his “clique” within the Syrian-Lebanese security apparatus, Mettraux moved Thursday to quiz the witness about his knowledge of the Islamic charity organization Al-Ahbash.
Al-Ahbash figured prominently in early investigations into the Hariri assassination, with two members of the organization being accused and jailed for their alleged connection to the crime. The members were later released.
Mettraux reminded Sabaa that in 1995 Hariri had been accused by Al-Ahbash of orchestrating the murder of Sheikh Nizar Halabi, a leader of the organization.
Sabaa, however, said he had little recollection of the incident, denying that Al-Ahbash thought Hariri was involved in Halabi’s assassination.
Mettraux went on to suggest that “some of the members of the organization [Al-Ahbash] in Lebanon [were] quite closely linked to the security apparatus” at the time of the assassination.
In a previous statement made to the United Nations, Sabaa had said that Al-Ahbash was the “mokhbarat [intelligence agents of] of Rustom Ghazaleh,” a top Syrian intelligence officer in Lebanon at the time.
He appeared to backtrack on that claim in court Thursday, saying only that there was “a relation” between Al-Ahbash and Ghazaleh.
The pro-Syrian “security apparatus” in general, and Ghazaleh in particular, have been repeatedly invoked by the prosecution and the defense in relation to Hariri’s assassination.
Over the past two days, Mettraux suggested that Al-Ahbash, Lahoud and the pro-Syrian security apparatus in Lebanon may have had motive to kill Hariri.
The court has charged five Hezbollah members for plotting Hariri’s assassination and the ensuing cover-up.
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