Rifi Submits Draft Project on Finding Alternative to Military Court in Wake of Samaha Release

Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi will make a request before cabinet to refer the trial of former Minister Michel Samaha to the judicial council in wake of his release from jail despite the damning evidence against him in his involvement in bombing plots in Lebanon, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday.

He will also submit to cabinet a draft-law that he prepared to eliminate extraordinary trials and instead call for the establishment of “judicial powers” concerned with “significant and terrorist” crimes

Rifi had handed head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora a copy of a draft-law that calls for the elimination of the military tribunal, revealed al-Mustaqbal daily.

“Should the draft project meet obstacles at cabinet, then ten lawmakers will present it as a draft-law at parliament for approval,” he told the daily.

The minister added that he had given the orders to prepare a memo to refer Samaha's case to the judicial council for a retrial “by judges that are trusted by the Lebanese people.”

This memo will “soon” be addressed at cabinet for a final decision.

“I lost my faith in the military court a long time ago because instead of combating terrorism, it rewards it through its bias,” he told al-Mustaqbal.

Samaha was released from jail on Thursday after being arrested in 2012 after he was caught red-handed smuggling explosives from Syria for the purpose of carrying out bombings and assassinations in Lebanon.

He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail.

The release sparked a wave of anger in Lebanon against the military court, most notably among the March 14 alliance.

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri deemed the release a “shame and scandal,” vowing that he will not remain silent over the issue.

Demonstrators on Friday blocked a number of roads in Beirut in protest against the release, while the March 14 youth groups staged a rally in front of Samaha's residence in Ashrafieh.

Samaha, who was information minister from 1992 to 1995, was released in exchange for a bail payment of 150 million Lebanese pounds ($100,000), according the text of the Military Court's judgment.

Under his bail conditions, Samaha, 67, would be barred from leaving the country for at least one year, speaking to the press or using social media.

Samaha, a former adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad, admitted during his trial that he had transported the explosives from Syria for use in attacks in Lebanon.

But he argued he should be acquitted because he was a victim of entrapment by a Lebanese security services informer – Milad Kfoury.