First indictment in UN Hariri tribunal is issued — and sealed

A United Nations-backed prosecutor investigating the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri issued a sealed indictment Monday, according to the Netherlands-based court.

The pretrial judge will decide whether the case presented by the prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare of Canada, is strong enough to go to trial. The court said if he chooses to issue formal indictments, he will then make the names public. Officials close to the investigation said this process will likely take six to eight weeks.