NNA – Deputy Ashraf Rifi considered, in an interview with "Voice of Lebanon" Radio Channel, that "Judge Sawan was under no suspicion, but the people in power dismissed him and appointed Judge Bitar in his place, and when they did not like the performance of the independent Judge Bitar, the authority decided to try to pressure and dismiss him."

"We lived the same experience in 2005 when Martyr Rafic Hariri was assassinated, when Hezbollah accused us of the assassinations and exerted pressure on the judiciary,” Rifi indicated, adding that “it later became clear through the international judiciary that those who carried out the assassination were members of the party.”

"In the event that the Lebanese judiciary is unable to reach the truth about the port blast, an international investigation should be sought," he underscored.

Rifi believed that "Hezbollah's capacity has diminished since 2016, as it had 74 deputies, and today it barely owns half of the parliament's members, and its regional role has weakened."

========R.Sh.