Senior MP Denounces Hariri Court's "Illegal Verdict"

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian legislator condemned the verdict issued by the court investigating assassination of Late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri against a number of Hezbollah members, and said the verdict is politically-tainted and has no legal value.
Head the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi emphasized that the verdict has no "legal value".

"Since its establishment, it was clear that this tribunal was not judicial but political and under the influence of the US and Israel," said Boroujerdi.

"Therefore, it lacked legitimacy from the very beginning," he added.

Syria's ambassador to Lebanon on Friday said the court implicating Hezbollah members in the 2005 murder of Hariri had "significantly lost credibility" after names were leaked to the press.

"The tribunal has significantly lost credibility because of these leaks, especially as Israeli media was the first to welcome the news and disclose the content of the indictment, days before it was announced," Ali Abdel Karim Ali told reporters after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

The Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon has issued arrest warrants for four members of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah in connection with the Hariri assassination.

The whereabouts of the four are unknown, however.

Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, will announce his movement's position against the indictment in a televised address on Saturday.

Hezbollah has accused the tribunal of being a US-Israeli conspiracy and vowed to defend itself against any accusation in the Hariri murder.