A hearing was held yesterday for the appeal in the case of the murder of Rola Yaakoob in order to hear the testimonials of new witnesses as per the decision of the accusatory body in North Lebanon which decided on the 30th of July 2014, to investigate the matter further. Yaakoob’s family had organized a solidarity sit in outside the justice court in Tripoli while the case was being heard. Yaakoob’s mother stated that her only request is for the investigation to extend as much as possible and ensure that no stone is left unturned as not to protect the killer. The family lawyer, Raymond Yaakoob, also noted that matters are taking their due course. He considered that hearing the new witnesses means that justice will be served. He added that the accusatory body would not have requested to pursue the investigation of it was not convinced that there were loopholes in the process. Furthermore and according to the lawyer, witnesses reiterated their testimonials about Rola being subjected to continuous violence by her husband, adding that the new witnesses who knew Rola well also provided similar testimonials. Lawyer Yaakoob concluded that the matter now depends on the decision of the accusatory body which can either endorse the earlier decision to release Yaakoob’s husband or re-open the file and proceed with a new investigation leading to a new trial.
Source: Al-Safir, Al-Akhbar, Al-Mustaqbal 30 September 2014