Military judge summons editor over Samaha leak

First Investigative Military Judge Riad Abu Ghayda decided Tuesday to hear the testimony of the editor-in-chief of Lebanon’s Al-Joumhouria newspaper over the paper’s leaking of preliminary investigations with former Minister Michel Samaha. Abu Ghayda’s decision to summon George Soulaj came after he listened the same day to the testimony of Charles Jabbour, Al-Joumhouria’s managing editor and responsible director Khalil Abu Antoun. The case of the press leaks is expected to be referred Wednesday to Judge Saqr Saqr, the government representative at the Military Tribunal. Prior to the testimony session, Abu Ghayda met Elias Aoun, the president of the Journalists Union. Aoun told reporters that he had accompanied Jabbour and Abu Antoun to the session and that he conveyed to Abu Ghayda the union’s keenness on the proper implementation of laws and its confidence in Brig. Nizar Khalil, the head of the Military Tribunal. Samaha was arrested by the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch in August and later charged along with a senior Syrian army general with plotting terrorist attacks in Lebanon. (daily star) y