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Addoum requests
death penalty for Geagea
March 24, 1999
Public Prosecutor Adnan
Addoum Tuesday formally
requested the death penalty
for the former leader
of the banned Lebanese
Forces militia, Samir
Geagea, and his accomplices
in the 1987 assassination
of then-Prime Minister
Rashid Karami.
Mr. Addoum, who made his
request to the Judicial
Council, said in his 4-hour
closing arguments that
Geagea had orchestrated
Mr. Karamis assassination,
saying that defense lawyer
Karim Pakradounis claim
that the assassination
was the result of Israeli
infiltration of the LF
was false.
Geagea and 16 others are
on trial in the case;
Geagea, Brigadier Khalil
Matar and 3 others are
in custody. The others
have fled the country.
Geagea ordered this heinous
crime for personal reasons.
It was not a political
crime, and was not the
result of any alleged
Israeli infiltration of
the LF, which was at the
time under the direct
control of Geagea and
was very powerful and
hard to infiltrate, Mr.
Addoum said. The decision
was taken after the LF
launched a media campaign
against Mr. Karami. Geagea
planned the assassination
and Ghassan Touma carried
it out after receiving
from Geagea all the needed
funds and means, he added.
The prosecutor also accused
Brigadier Matar of having
carried out the assassination
under Geageas orders.
Brigadier Matar was an
important accomplice and
had close ties with Geagea
and the head of his intelligence
service, Ghassan Touma,
the public prosecutor
said.
Prosecution lawyer Bassam
Dayeh asked the Council
to issue the death sentence
for all of the defendants
in the case.
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