The Lebanese judiciary is still seeking answers for the assassination of prominent Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim six weeks after his bullet-ridden body was found in a rental car in south Lebanon. One judicial source described the murder as sophisticated.
"We are sincere in our search for the truth, but the crime was complicated and sophisticated," a Lebanese judiciary source told The National on Tuesday.
Twenty people have been summoned for questioning in the case so far, according to the source, but no arrest warrants have been issued.
A local judge opened an investigation with the information department of Lebanon’s police, known as the Internal Security Forces, after the body of Slim, 59, was found in a rental car with four gunshot wounds in the head and one in the back on the morning of February 4.
The car was parked near the southern village of Addoussieh, which is surrounded by greenhouses and fruit orchards, on an isolated side road that leads to a coastal motorway that is lined with Hezbollah flags. The region of south Lebanon is dominated by the Iran-backed political party.
The area is nearly 40 kilometres north of where Slim was last seen the previous evening around 8.30pm leaving a friend’s house.
That night, two employees from Umam, an NGO that Slim co-ran with his wife Monika Borgmann, went looking for him after he failed to return to the family home in the Hezbollah stronghold of Ghobeiry, south of Beirut. They found his phone 200m from his friend's house in the village of Niha.
The fact that the phone was disposed of in such a way is an indication that Slim’s killers may have been professionals, the judicial source said.
“Lots of criminals don’t know that they can be traced with their phone,” they said.
Investigators are currently reviewing "every detail", including telephone communications in the area on the day of Slim's death and camera footage, the source said.
“The murder happened at night. No one was out because of the coronavirus [pandemic]. We are trying to locate private cameras in the area. There are no government cameras”, they said. “We checked the [rental] car four times.”
Slim, an outspoken critic of Hezbollah, which also operates a regional militia, had received death threats for more than a decade.
According to the judicial source, there have been no attempts by politicians to pressure investigators working on the murder, but activists say the Lebanese judiciary is co-opted by political parties and does not operate independently.
Nizar Saghieh, the founder of local watchdog Legal Agenda, singled out Rahif Ramadan, the public prosecutor for south Lebanon, who is in charge of the investigation.
Mr Saghieh said that Mr Ramadan should be removed because he is close to Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri, who heads the Amal political party.
"The judge lacks neutrality vis-a-vis Amal and Hezbollah. He always benefited from Berri's support to further his career," he told The National. "We are not surprised that the investigation is not moving forward."
Ms Borgmann echoed Mr Saghieh’s views, saying she does not trust the Lebanese judiciary, which has a track record of not solving political murders. She is pushing for an international investigation.
“I hope that the international community might understand that allowing this culture of impunity to continue will only allow more impunity in the future,” she said.
Ms Borgmann describes her late husband's murder as an execution and believes it could be linked to the explosion at Beirut's port on August 4 that killed more than 200 people.
"I'm asking myself: why now?" said Ms Borgmann, who holds German and Lebanese citizenship. "One explanation is the port. Is there another one? All these questions are the reasons why I would like to see an international investigation and understand myself."
The blast is still under investigation, but locals accuse Lebanon’s political class of being responsible for the unsafe storage of thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate for years. Judge Fadi Sawan was removed on February 18 after complaints by two suspects – both politicians affiliated to Amal – and replaced by a new judge, Tarek Bitar.
In an interview with Saudi television station Al Hadath on January 15, Slim accused the Syrian government of smuggling the chemicals from Syria to Lebanon in 2013 as part of a weapons deal with the US government.
Slim, who did not offer proof, claimed that Hezbollah then smuggled part of the chemicals back to Syria to bomb civilians as part of the country’s ongoing civil war.
Hezbollah repeatedly denied being involved in the activist’s killing, which occurred exactly six months after the port blast.
Party supporters accuse Hezbollah’s arch-enemy Israel of being behind the murder of Slim, a Shiite Muslim, to cause division among the community.
But killings or assassination attempts that are clearly linked to Israel, such as a car bomb that wounded a Hamas official in the southern city of Saida in January 2018, are usually shortly followed by arrests.
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
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1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Saeed%20Teebi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%C2%A0House%20of%20Anansi%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
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The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
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%3Cp%3EMahika%20Gaur%20is%20the%20latest%20Dubai-raised%20athlete%20to%20attain%20top%20honours%20with%20another%20country.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVelimir%20Stjepanovic%20(Serbia%2C%20swimming)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20raised%20in%20Dubai%2C%20he%20finished%20sixth%20in%20the%20final%20of%20the%202012%20Olympic%20Games%20in%20London%20in%20the%20200m%20butterfly%20final.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJonny%20Macdonald%20(Scotland%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBrought%20up%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20represented%20the%20region%20in%20international%20rugby.%20When%20the%20Arabian%20Gulf%20team%20was%20broken%20up%20into%20its%20constituent%20nations%2C%20he%20opted%20to%20play%20for%20Scotland%20instead%2C%20and%20went%20to%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20Sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20daughter%20of%20an%20English%20mother%20and%20Emirati%20father%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20in%20Dubai%2C%20then%20after%20attending%20university%20in%20the%20UK%20played%20for%20England%20at%20sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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