STL to determine new date for the trial in the case of Rafik Hariri's assassination

One day following the postponement of the trial in the case of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, initially scheduled for 25th of March 2013, Deputy Registrar for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Daryl Mundis said via twitter: “

“We have faith in Judge Fransen's judgment, and he knows best if the case is ready for trial.”          

In a Q&A session on twitter, Mundis noted that ““Fransen saw it was absolutely necessary, to protect the rights of the accused, to postpone the start of the trial.”        

According to Mundis, “the Lebanese authorities have an ongoing obligation to arrest and transfer the accused even during trial,” adding that in case the suspects were arrested and convicted, “the imprisonment shall be served in a state designated by the President of the STL.”            

“It's very difficult to predict how long the trial will take. But there are lots of steps we are taking now to ensure a speedy trial,” he said answering a question about the duration of the trial and how long it will take before the STL starts exposing all leads.             

“The defense has to comb through over 86,000 documents, terabytes of call data records, and conduct their own investigations,” Mundis tweeted.            

“Fransen will set a new tentative date following submissions from the parties. These submissions are due on 8 March,” he said, pointing out that “given the volume of material disclosed and cooperation requests by Defense to Lebanon the Judge determined that postponement was necessary”.             

“We are an independent judicial institution,” said Mundis, stating that “those who support the work of the STL financially or otherwise know they have no opportunity to influence the judicial process.”