Defense counsel representing five Hezbollah members accused of killing Rafik Hariri sought to poke holes in testimony offered by the former Prime Minister’s childhood friend and confidante Ghaleb al-Shamaa at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Thursday.
Shamaa’s previous statements, made before the court earlier this week and to investigators on previous occasions, were run through a fine-tooth comb by defense lawyers who sought to point out inconsistencies.
When questioned by defense council Iain Edwards, who represents the interests of top Hezbollah operative Mustapha Badreddine, about failing to provide telephone numbers to investigators in the wake of the assassination, Shamaa repeatedly said that he could not recall which cell phone numbers he used at that time.
Shamaa denied a line of questioning by the defense intended to suggest that the monthly payments Hariri made to top Syrian intelligence officer Rustom Ghazzali were intended to buy membership in Parliament. Shamaa had told the court that Hariri paid Ghazzali at least $67,000 per month for more than 10 years.
Defense counsel Jad Khalil, who represents the interests of Hezbollah member Hassan Habib Merhi, asked Shamaa wide-reaching questions about Lebanese political affairs. Judge David Re questioned the relevance of the inquiries several times.
Defense lawyers also questioned Shamaa’s relationship with ISF Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, who was responsible for Hariri’s personal security. While Shamaa made repeated calls to Abu Tareq, Hariri’s chief bodyguard, in the wake of the assassination, he made none to Hasan, who would presumably have traveling in the Prime Ministers convoy.
