Higher Judicial Council position highly praised
Justice Minister Ibrahim Njjar defended the judicial body on Saturday saying the judicial body possesses enough immunity to conduct its own internal review.
He called on all politicians to lift their hands off the judiciary. Najjar praised the recent statement made by the High Judicial Council (HJC) following the release of the four generals by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) who were detained in 2005 following the assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri.
He defended his role in calling on the HJC to meet saying he had the authority to do so under article six of the judicial law.
"This was no interference with the judiciary”s work, this aimed to ensure that the judiciary would bear its responsibility," Najjar said.
He added that he preferred not to attend the HJC meeting only to maintain the council”s independence.
"Only the judicial inspection has the right to hold the judiciary accountable," Najjar said.