Journalist denies she put Hariri case at risk
‘$500m has been paid by us for this sevenstar courtroom in The Hague,’ defendant says
ALebanese reporter and her TV station went on trial yesterday accused of jeopardising the case against the alleged killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by trying to expose witnesses.
A prosecutor at the UNbacked court in The Hague said broadcasts in 2012 by journalist Karma Khayat and the Lebanon-based Al Jadeed TV station had risked ruining the investigation into the 2005 assassination of Hariri.
“If witnesses are too frightened to come to this tribunal, then this tribunal is finished,” said prosecutor Kenneth Scott.
Karma and Al Jadeed deny wrongdoing, saying the accusations were a bid to silence the media. Addressing the court, Karma said her reports had been aimed at exposing leaks emanating from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon — an international body that has consumed hundreds of millions of dollars in public money.
“$500 million [Dh1,836 million] has been paid by us for this seven-star courtroom in The Hague. It is our right to make sure these finances are being spent properly,” Karma said.
Hariri and 21 others were killed in a waterfront bomb blast that upset a fragile peace in the country, dragging it back to the brink of civil war.
The tribunal was set up after Lebanese politicians said their judicial system could not cope with the investigation.
Five suspects, all linked to Hezbollah, have since been indicted for the killing. They remain at large and are being tried in their absence.
Scott said that Karma’s interviews of alleged witnesses was “part of a campaign to undermine the tribunal”.
He said dozens of witnesses were easily identifiable from their voices, home and work addresses, and car licence plates.