BEIRUT: Lebanese Military Investigative Judge Riad Abu Ghida will resume shortly the interrogation of former Minister Michel Samaha, who has been charged with plotting terror attacks in Lebanon along with a high-ranking Syrian army general.
The state-run National News Agency said Abu Ghida has set the questioning session for Tuesday.
Samaha will be interrogated in the presence of one of his attorneys, the NNA reported.
Samaha, who is close to Syrian President Bashar Assad, was arrested on Aug. 10 on charges of plotting terror attacks in Lebanon along with Syria’s National Security chief Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk and his assistant, who has been identified only by the first name of Adnan.
Judicial sources had earlier told The Daily Star that the military prosecutor’s office and Abu Ghida rejected the defense team’s requests that Samaha be allowed to retract his testimony and summon a key witness.
They ruled that Samaha’s confessions were supported by incriminating evidence and that summoning undercover agent Milad Kfouri – the key witness in the case – from abroad would endanger his life.
Samaha has confessed to plotting bomb attacks with Mamlouk and Adnan at the behest of Assad.