May 8, 2000
Some of the daily papers published the morning of May 6, 2000, a statement by Prosecutor General Addoum. Mr. Addoum conceded half what is due from him by admitting implicitly that there is an obligation to investigate the truthfulness of my charges against the judges I named. At the same time, he thought that the press conference I gave constitutes a criminal offense because such investigation is the prerogative of the "competent authorities in the judicial establishment".
I respect the opinion of Mr. Addoum, and I expect him to respect mine. Neither one of us has a personal interest in this matter. It is the duty of both of us to confront the integrity crisis jointly not as two conflicting parties. Law practice, according to its code, has the objective of serving justice by upholding rights. It has a public duty. I remind Mr. Addoum of what I said repeatedly that a reason for my holding the press conference was that all complaints and actions relative to the integrity of judges are regularly thrown out of court and the petitioners are both heavily fined and ordered to pay outrageous damages. There is no better evidence to illustrate this point than the action brought by none other than the prosecutor general for the responsibility of the state for the errors of certain judges. This action was decided on January 14, 2000 (Judgment No. 1/2000) by the general assembly of the court of cassation. It was thrown out, but without either fine or damages this time!
I ask the prosecutor general on my part: Have the "competent authorities" (which he failed to define) made any move after I published the documents that support my accusations? Isn’t he one of those authorities? Moreover, I respectfully remind him of Article 387 of the penal code, which reads:
"With the exception of libel directed at the head of state a defendant shall be judged innocent if the substance of libel had to do with the public office and was proven to be truthful".