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Abdo and Khashan called to court in December over defamation of Lahoud
23 September 2010
BEIRUT: A court session over the slander and defamation of former President Emile Lahoud by the former head of the Lebanese army intelligence Johnny Abdo and journalist Fares Khashan was adjourned to December 1 by the Publications Court on Wednesday.
The court’s head, Judge Roukoz Rizk had summoned Abdo and Khashan in absentia to attend a session on Wednesday.
The summons came after the attorneys of the two had forwarded an objection to a verdict issued against Abdo and Khashan in absentia.
The attorneys pledged to bring their clients to the session in December. If they do not attend the objection to the ruling will be rejected and the verdict will be irrevocable.
Toufic Khattab, the manager of Al-Mustaqbal newspaper, in which the defamatory article appeared, was given one month behind bars, replaced by a LL50 million fine.
The verdicts were issued in light of a prosecution against Abdo, Khashan and Khattab over an article written by Khashan, in which he quoted Abdo slandering and defaming Lahoud during the latter’s term, which ended in November 2007.
However, Abdo’s attorneys Fouad Shbaklo and Hamadeh Hamadeh appealed the verdict against Khattab before the Cassation Court and forwarded an objection on the verdict against Abdo before the Publications Court, after which warrants issued against the former ambassador were retrieved and a session to interrogate Abdo was set for September 22.
Figures from the March 8 forces including those from Hizbullah have said Abdo forcibly entered Lebanon earlier this summer under official security and spent several days in the country despite the presence of a judicial warrant against him.
On Tuesday, Abdo issued a statement dismissing such claims. “There is no judicial warrant against him [Abdo] at all,” said the statement, adding “that the verdict in absentia issued by the Publications Court headed by Judge Roukoz Rizk was cancelled along with all its effects the minute a legal objection was forwarded by his attorney Fouad Shbaklo.”
Commenting on accusations that he has forcibly entered Lebanon, Abdo said the Foreign Ministry should be asked whether a former Lebanese ambassador could enter Lebanon via the VIP lounge and airport security should be asked whether security members that provided him with “legal protection” have entered the airport or remained outside.
The accusations come in response to ones made by rivals from the March 14 alliance, saying Hizbullah security members entered the airport’s runway to accompany former head of the General Security Major General Jamil al-Sayyed, an ally to the party. – The Daily Star
© Copyright The Daily Star 2010.
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