Minister of Justice Adel Nassar has said that the investigation into the file of Hezbollah's explosives shipment "is ongoing and expanding,” in line with “the commitments of President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the Ministry of Justice that there is no ceiling on the investigations, and no political interference to influence them."
In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Nassar pointed out that the request to refer the file to the Judicial Council "will be a path independent of the current judicial investigations and procedures, in which we have full confidence," emphasizing "our full trust in the judges handling the investigations, namely Public Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rami Al-Hajj and Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem."
"This matter is fundamental for us," Nassar added, clarifying that the request for referral to the Judicial Council "stems from the size of the file and its risks, as we view it as an assault on national security, and this falls within the jurisdiction of the Judicial Council." He stressed that the criteria for requesting the referral "stem from the realm of law, not politics."
Nassar noted that he raised the issue during the previous cabinet session, receiving support from ministers affiliated with the Lebanese Forces. He later submitted a request to register it with the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to place it on the agenda for Thursday's session.
Nassar emphasized that the Constitution "sets the rules for debate within the Council of Ministers, and the matter in no way implies any obstruction of the investigations." He added: "We are open to discussion in the Council of Ministers, in accordance with constitutional rules, until the Council of Ministers reaches its decision."
He maintained that this file must reach the stage of being referred to the Judicial Council "because it is associated with significant risks," explaining that transporting and storing a large quantity of explosives "involves direct dangers to the areas from which and to which they are moved, just as storing them poses a danger to residents of a populated area."
On the other hand, it "involves risks of being linked to a larger project," pointing to "suspicions regarding the intended purpose of their use -- either in executing assassinations, carrying out domestic bombings, or in acts of war."
"The Council of Ministers is clear in its decisions prohibiting military and armed acts outside the state framework," Nassar said. He added: "In both cases --whether the intended use was internally or in military actions that create pretexts for (Israeli) wars against Lebanon -- it constitutes an infringement on national and state security and a violation of the laws in force."