The Military Court of Cassation decided Thursday to release former Minister Michel Samaha on bail reaching an amount of LBP 150 million.
The court’s panel approved the release after Judge Tony Lattouf considered that Samaha had served his sentence, adding that he must attend the upcoming trial sessions.
“Even though I’m not a law expert, I know that releasing Samaha is rejected by all standards,” Geagea said in a tweet.
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned The Military Court’s decision, saying that "regardless of the reasons behind the court's decision to release Samaha, it (remains) a decision to release a criminal who is involved in one of the dirtiest crimes against Lebanon."
Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblatt said that the decision is “a stab in the back for the security forces who are exerting their best efforts to combat terrorism.”
For his part, Kataeb Party leader Sami Gemayel said via his twitter account that “the Lebanese judiciary's message to terrorists is that the penalty for smuggling explosives and plotting to bomb the Lebanese people at foreign orders is only three years in jail.”
In turn, Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouq considered Samaha’s release as a condemnation to the Military Tribunal.
This as Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi slammed the decision of judicial and security officials to release Samaha.
“I carried out my national duties when I was an Internal Security Forces chief to seize the bombs that the criminal Michel Samaha was transporting,” Rifi added.