Judge Madi demands lifting immunity off MP Boutros Harb

State Prosecutor Hatem Madi demanded on Monday the lifting of MP Boutros Harb's political immunity for insulting the Lebanese Judiciary and President Michel Sleiman in the wake of the arrest warrant issued against the culprit [Mahmoud Al Hayek] accused of the Harb's attempted assassination.

Harb has accused the judiciary of conspiring and President Michel Sleiman of interfering in the case in favor of the defendant.

MP Harb later announced that a press conference will be held on Tuesday at 12:30 at his residence in Hazmieh to comment on Madi’s decision.

For his part, MP Marwan Hamadeh issued a statement in which he considered that the Lebanese judiciary is not pursuing the criminals, urging the judges “to stop harassing the victims and supporting the murderers.”

Hamadeh called on Speaker Nabih Berri and the Bar Association to take a “daring position to stop the masquerade.” An explosive device was found inside the elevator of MP Boutros Harb’s office building at Sami el-Solh Boulevard on Thursday July 5th, 2012. Security guards within the building suspected strange incomers and proceeded to arrest one of the men.

The man was armed with a knife which injured the security guards along a Doctor who had been at the scene of the incident.Subsequently a four wheel drive arrived at the scene claiming to belong to a Military Intelligence patrol unit.

The armed man was taken and delivered to the authorities.

On February 1st 2013, the Government Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Sakr Sakr filed a lawsuit against Mahmoud al-Hayek on charges of attempting to assassinate MP Harb at his office in Badaro in addition to other terrorist acts. The lawsuit was later referred to the First Military Investigative Judge.