Prague, March 15 (CTK) – A Lebanese court has acquitted Ali Fayad, whom the USA suspected of support for terrorism and conspiracy, because it has concluded that the USA did not provide enough evidence, Fayad’s Czech lawyer Vladimir Ricica told Aktualne.cz news server on Wednesday.
“Due to unconvincing evidence submitted by the U.S. authorities that demanded his extradition, the Lebanese court concluded that Fayad will not be tried in court anymore,” Ricica said.
He said he does not have the text of the Lebanese verdict as he is not dealing with Fayad’s case now.
The Lebanese paper Daily Star wrote last week that a local military court decided that Fayad is innocent since the U.S. charges of arms and drug sales do not fall within the Lebanese jurisdiction. However, the Lebanese Justice Ministry refused to extradite Fayad to the United States one year ago already. Last summer, Fayad was released from a custody prison in Beirut.
Fayad is a Lebanese citizen. Along with Faouzi Jaber and Khaled Marabi, he was arrested by the Czech police in April 2014.
The USA suspects the three Lebanese of conspiracy and provision of material support for a terrorist organisation. It also accuses Jaber and Marabi of a conspiracy aimed at money laundering and cocaine trafficking, while Jaber and Fayad are suspected of a conspiracy aimed at the acquisition and sale of ground-air missiles and a conspiracy aimed to kill U.S. officers and employees.
Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikan decided on Jaber’s extradition last year.
Unlike Jaber, Prague did not extradite Fayad and Marabi, but released them from custody. Speculations have it that the decision not to extradite Fayad, an alleged Lebanese secret service agent, was connected with the release of five Czechs kidnapped in Lebanon in June 2016, after 199 days. The five Czechs were set free on the day of Fayad’s release from a Czech prison. His release was strongly criticised by the U.S. Embassy in Prague.
Pelikan did not confirm any connection between the return of the kidnapped Czechs and Fayad’s release, but Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky admitted it.
