Appeals Panel at Special Tribunal for Lebanon Decides on Jurisdiction in Case STL-14-05 (October 2, 2014) [1]
On October 2, 2014, an Appeals Panel of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) decided [3] in an appeal related to Case STL-14-05 that the STL has jurisdiction to hear cases of obstruction of justice against legal persons. In its decision, the Appeals Panel found “that the ordinary meaning of the word ‘person’ in a legal context can include both natural human beings and legal entities.” In their reasoning, the Appeals Panel determined that “[i]n light of the Tribunal's inherent power to protect the integrity of its proceedings, the need to uphold the rule of law, execute and maintain the administration of justice; and domestic developments and evolving international law standards, the Appeals Panel considers that it is in the interests of justice to interpret the Tribunal's personal jurisdiction under Rule 60 bis as encompassing legal persons.” According to the press release [4], the decision “means that the case against New TV S.A.L will proceed at the same time as the case against Ms Karma Al Khayat.”