Lebanon Tribunal joins cases of 5 accused in Hariri killing

The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) on Tuesday issued an oral ruling to join the case against Hassan Habib Merhi with the case against Saleem Jameel Ayyash, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra. A STL press release issued in Leidschendam, the Netherlands, said a written decision on the matter will be issued in due course. All of the five accused are indicted for their alleged role in the 14 February 2005 attack in Beirut which killed former L:ebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Following deliberations by the Judges at the close of the hearing, Presiding judge of the Trial Chamber David Re said: "In these circumstances, the interests of justice must favour joining the two cases. The Trial Chamber has therefore decided that the two cases should be joined and tried on the same indictment." The Prosecutor submitted an indictment to the Pre-Trial Judge against Ayyash, Badreddine, Oneissi, and Sabra on 17 January 2011. On 1 February 2012, the Trial Chamber issued a decision to try the four accused in absentia. On 31 July 2013, the Pre-Trial Judge confirmed the indictment submitted by the Prosecutor against Merhi. On 20 December 2013, the Trial Chamber issued a decision to try Merhi in absentia, which is permissible under Lebanese law.